Recent testimony before Congress by the CEO of Mylan, the company that is charging so much for EpiPen, has brought high drug prices to public attention. What do they mean for the average citizen? Why have high drug prices put Americans at risk?
High Drug Prices Put Patients in Danger:
Q. As a pharmacist, I see the impact of high drug prices every day. People on Medicare Part D are reaching the “donut hole” earlier every year due to the high cost of their meds.
I have customers on insulin pens who can’t afford their prescriptions because the cost has gone from a copay of $47 to a copay of $204 every month. It doesn’t help when I tell them that the “usual and customary” price is $489 and they are getting a discounted price.
Many times people go without their meds because they can’t afford them. Switching to vials and syringes might save some, but it is the cost of the insulin that is so high.
A. People with type 1 diabetes cannot survive without insulin. Like so many other medications, insulin has been soaring in price. An article in JAMA (April 5, 2016) noted that the cost more than tripled from 2002 to 2013.
In some instances, out-of-pocket expenses can be as much as $400 a month. Some people are now buying their insulin from Canada. Others utilize patient assistance programs provided by the manufacturers (888-477-2669).
You can learn more about Canadian pharmacies and shopping strategies in our Guide to Saving Money on Medicines.
Patients Are Mad As Hell!
There was a time when drug prices barely went up from one year to the next. Turn back the clock to 1980. A bottle of 100 Valium pills (diazepam) from a chain store pharmacy would have cost $10.89. Today, long after the patent has expired on this anti-anxiety agent, the cost for the same identical 5 mg pills would top $540. The heart medicine Lanoxin (digoxin) cost $1.69 for 100 pills in 1980. Hard to believe, right? Guess what it costs today. Over $850! Are you surprised that patients are unhappy. Here are just a few comments from people who have visited our website:
Cindy in Seattle offers this thought:
“Horrible, vicious, unadulterated, unapologetic greed! Taking drugs away from a sick person who needs them is worse than taking candy from a baby, or looting someone’s house in a natural disaster… It’s the worst of the worst.”
Kenneth in Florida points a finger at government:
“Our government, unlike governments in many other countries, does practically nothing to protect its citizens-us-from such forms of greed. Shame on them and shame on us for not taking them to task for it.”
Mary in Texas suggests that the pharmaceutical industry has become a target of disdain:
“Big Pharma is second only to Wall Street/financial institutions in level of repugnance.”
Joan in St. Petersburg, Florida had a personal story to share:
“I have suffered with arthritis for many years. About a month ago I got up from bed and fell on the floor. My legs just gave out and I was in excruciating pain from the knee down. I lay on the floor for 6 hours unable to reach the telephone. When taken to the hospital I had tests done and the consensus was that I had rheumatoid arthritis. I had had it for many years my doctor said after seeing my fingers all bent and out of shape.
“The doctor prescribed the generic for Plaquenil..and told me it was a low cost drug that has been on the market for many years. Well, the pharmacy I go to called me to be sure I wanted to fill it as the cost would be $154. They told me it had been $4 for a 30 day supply and then the manufacturer took it off the market. When it became available again it was $154. I called some other pharmacy and the price was even higher. I wrote the manufacturer for help. The same company makes both the name brand and the generic. They told me they did not have any assistance program like some other companies do.”
Mike in St. Louis has a similar story, though the prices are even more mind boggling:
“Further endangering patient health is the fact that those who have taken a brand name prescription for years are then suddenly forced to use a generic. The generic is often ineffective.
“My wife has to take Prozac–she took the (affordable) name brand for 15 years–it now costs $5000 for a 90 day supply, and the generic is ineffective.
“I took Uroxatral for years; it was affordable. It is now $1200 for a 90 day supply and the generic (azfuzosin) is worthless.
“Big Pharma are thieves and must be brought to justice. Medicare D will not pay for name brands and cannot negotiate drug prices with Big Pharma. Prescription drugs are the largest expense for my family–the cost (thievery) is unsustainable and congress does nothing.”
Buying Drugs from Canada?
The FDA says it is dangerous to buy brand name medicines from Canada even if they are made in the identical manufacturing plants as the pills purchased in the U.S. At the same time, the FDA allows generic drugs to enter the United States from China, India, Croatia, Slovakia, Thailand and other countries where quality control has been questioned.
If you would like to learn more about reliable Canadian pharmacies and strategies to reduce the cost of prescription medications you may find our 20-page Guide to Saving Money on Medicine of value.
