Big Pharma continues to jack up the prices on the drugs they peddle. The price of one drug was hiked 879%, and that’ only ONE of the 3,400 price increases that have occurred so far this year.
Pharmaceutical companies raised the prices of more than 3,400 drugs in the first half of 2019, surpassing the number of drug hikes they imposed during the same period last year, according to an analysis first reported by NBC News. While the average price increase per drug was 10.5%, a rate around five times that of inflation, about 40 of the drugs saw triple-digit increases. That includes a generic version of the antidepressant Prozac, which saw a price increase of 879%.
ARS Technica reported that the surge in price hikes comes amid ongoing public and political pressure to drag down the sky-rocketing price of drugs and healthcare costs overall. In May of 2018, President Donald Trump boldly announced that drug companies would unveil “voluntary massive drops in prices” within weeks, however, Big Pharma didn’t announce any big drops or actually reduce their prices. Trump then went on to publicly shame Pfizer for continuing to raise drug prices. The company responded with a short-lived pause on drug price increases mid-way through last year, but it resumed increasing prices in January along with dozens of other pharmaceutical companies.
“Requests and public shaming haven’t worked,” Michael Rea, chief executive of RX Savings Solutions, told Reuters last December. His company helps health plans and employers seek lower-cost prescription medicines. It also conducted a new analysis of some drug prices.
It really isn’t a surprise that people are losing faith in western medicine in record numbers in favor of a more natural and holistic approach. Cost is certainly one problem, but many experience debilitating side effects from Big Pharma’s drugs – and they then seek relief from those side effects by using other drugs laced with different synthetic chemicals. It’s a vicious cycle, and no one should be surprised by the rise in things like herbal tinctures, medicinal teas, and CBD oil.Â
Is CBD Oil a Good Choice for Your Bug-Out-Bag?
The Trump administration has finalized a new rule that goes into effect this summer, and it states that drug companies must include the prices of their product in advertisements on TV. At that point, when the general public understands just how much these companies are ripping them off, they may make a more permanent turn away from Western medicine’s chemical treatments.
It’s difficult to say if the Trump administration’s rule will have any effect on drug prices or not.
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Heck with Big Pharma! What about the Calif earthquakes. I would jump for joy if the liberal population centers of that state where gone. A big crack open up a swaller the entire citys.
I say leave big pharma alone. Just look around and see the obesity in the air. If people wanna live the way they do, and doctors encourage drug consumption, and big pharma kicks a little back, then who am I to tell anyone how to live. I’m content that there are at least some that can see what’s really happening. The best way to fight this war is to get and stay healthy. It’s unfortunate for most that it won’t happen, it’s quite fortunate for a few of us that we do.
OG,
That’s the real news. Seems some folks in California don’t think it’s a big deal. A 6.9 struck and was felt at Dodger’s Stadium. The fans and players didn’t even seem to notice. The time has come to be prepared for absolutely any scenario as events are ramping up.
off topic, big explosion down in Plantation Fla. at a Mall. Terrorism perhaps? see my posts at the previous topic about Atifa
I see these commercials for drugs all the time. Those advertising costs must be significant. I don’t think those ads are for doctors.
Maybe I’m old fashioned, but aren’t doctors supposed to determine what drug you need, dosage, and frequency of use for your condition that he/she has diagnosed?
I can’t imagine a person asking for Prozak, because they
think they are depressed from a bad day, and that a doctor would write a script for that drug without a through examination. Even if he thought it would help you, I can’t see him not recommending the Generic version.
rellik
I have thought the same thing myself. Ask your doctor for some drug that the only thing you know about it is a 30 second commercial from the manufacturer and your physician says, “Thats a good idea, ok here you go” handing you a prescription. I walk away with no faith in the entire system and a high probability of switching physicians.
I have mixed emotions about this one also. On one hand, I can’t bring myself to condemn the dissemination of information and I can’t see any doctor doling out some med just because a patient saw it on TV. Yet, the ad wouldn’t be there if it wasn’t meant to drive sales. I suppose information is only advantageous in an educated and ethical society. Something we don’t have anymore.
Using your example about Prozac, it happens all the time. A patient goes in and tells them they are depressed, so out comes the old script pad. Your general practitioner knows little to nothing about mental health disorders and psychotropic meds, yet they have no hesitation when it comes to prescribing them. They don’t understand the actions of the meds or the dosages required to treat MH problems. They think if a certain dose doesn’t work, they just need to increase it and it will work. This is often contraindicated and makes the problem worse.
Unfortunate if you are one that has to put up with those individual price hikes. In the meantime take some initiative to use GoodRX to check on where you can get your prescription if you are un or insufficiently insured or why I found out about their service to dodge my deductible.
Blink is another discount drug app to try. Look at https://appgrooves.com/rank/medical/prescription-drug-discount/best-prescription-drug-discount-apps for a list of these apps.
The US (you and me) pays the R&D cost which is far more expensive than production cost. The world with government controlled costs refuses to pay the R&D increment and pays production plus profit. Without the US component R&D would greatly decrease. The US cannot afford to in effect subsidize the world on this regard but “the world” can claim with justification that the US dollar’s reserve currency status subsidizes its value by being its inflationary sink. Let’s say that life isn’t fair.
Medicine is going up the same as medical care is going up. Why?
BECAUSE THE FUCKING GOVERNMENT IS INVOLVED YOU MORONS!!!
Since Obama care, insurance companies are guaranteed a 15% return. Therefore, not only do they not care if prices rise, it is in their financial interests for them to rise. Same for Hospitals.
We want our free shit. Goddamn Americans are stupid.
Stuart
Government is actually more involved in Europe and Canada and their drug costs are less. They refuse to pay the R&D. Granted if there is to be an R&D someone, somewhere (preferably everywhere) will pay it. Regarding Medical Care overall your correct and its not “socialism” its “crony capitalism” with the insurance companies being a main beneficiary.
Quit listening to the news Kevin. Drug costs are not less in other countries.You can’t look at the retail price and draw any useful conclusions when the real costs are hidden in government programs an funded through tax schemes. There has never been an example of more government involvement and less cost. If that were so the USSR would be thriving. Don’t make stupid statements, You’re smarter than that.
Stuart
“You can’t look at the retail price and draw any useful conclusions”
(1) Yes you can and must look at retail price. This is why Americans are illegally obtaining theirs from foreign sources; on some drugs runs in multiples.
“Don’t make stupid statements, You’re smarter than that.”
Insulting me doesn’t make you statement stronger. The fact is the US price is what allows the expensive R&D component.
Prices for brand-name drugs are typically higher in the U.S. than other developed countries. The drug industry has argued it’s misleading to focus on U.S. list prices that exclude discounts struck behind closed doors with insurers.
A Bloomberg News analysis finds that even after these discounts, prices are higher in the U.S. than abroad. Seven of eight top-selling drugs examined still cost more in the U.S. than most other countries.
h ttps://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2015-drug-prices/
(3) You are correct, I am smart.
Stuart
h ttps://www.reuters.com/article/us-pharmaceuticals-usa-comparison-idUSKCN0S61KU20151012
Excerpt from the above:
U.S. prices were six times higher than in Brazil and 16 times higher than the average in the lowest-price country, which was usually India.
Thats 6X and up to 16X……that’s not “peanuts”.
You miss the point again, so here is it real slow.
You cannot compare retail prices between countries (which is exactly what they did) because the true costs are hidden by government subsidies. For example: Europeans pay 20% VAT on every retail transaction to subsidize (in part) medical care but that number is not included in the “price”.
THERE HAS NEVER BEEN AN INSTANCE OF ADDING GOVERNMENT TO A PRICING STRUCTURE AND HAVING PRICES DECLINE AS A RESULT. PERIOD.
Once again, real slow: You can read and believe all the “news” and “studies” propaganda you want but the above fact does not change.
Stuart
Follow this slowly with a calculator.
$1 X 20% VAT = $1.20
$1 X 6 (600%) = $6
$1 X 16 (1600%) = $16
Apollo 13 Jack Swagart, “I can add”.
“THERE HAS NEVER BEEN AN INSTANCE OF ADDING GOVERNMENT TO A PRICING STRUCTURE AND HAVING PRICES DECLINE AS A RESULT. PERIOD.”
Look up “Sherman Anti Trust Act”. That became law because of price fixing. The US pays the R&D for drug research, Europe does not. We are paying their share, we are de-facto subsidizing them.
““You can’t look at the retail price and draw any useful conclusions”
(1) Yes you can and must look at retail price. This is why Americans are illegally obtaining theirs from foreign sources; on some drugs runs in multiples.
Well then, let’s compare the retail price of, say, gasoline between the U.S. and Venezuela. I don’t know what you are paying but in Venezuela gasoline is only 30 cents per gallon. There they go again. Those mean old oil companies screwing Americans. We should be like Venezuela…. or Sudan where it’s only .14… or Cuba – only .09 Shit we should be just like Cuba. A real working man’s paradise.
Stuart
“There has never been an example of more government involvement and less cost. If that were so the USSR would be thriving.”
The USSR was socialist. Europe is a capitalist welfare state. The difference is that under socialism government owns the means of production. Communism is the advanced socialism “ideal” of reaching a classless society which has never been achieved. The means of production is privately owned in Europe.
More government involvement broke up the Trusts (Oil, Gunpowder, Steel) facilitating competition. The lack of competition fixed prices, none other than John D Rockefeller was quoted saying, “Competition is a sin”; competition lowers costs. One cannot make a blanket statement with validity that all government regulation is bad. I worked in heavy industry both chemical and oil and seen them in action. The Delaware River was dead because there was no EPA. It has since come back to life. It’s all a question of degree.
“The USSR was socialist. Europe is a capitalist welfare state. ”
You blab on and on about irrelevant things Kevin. In fact, your entire post is rambling irrelevance. You sound exactly like a college sociology professor. Bla, bla, bla.
I did not make a blanket statement that all regulation is bad. Just like the closet liberal you seem to be, you hear what you want to hear even if nobody said it. I said that the introduction of government never reduces costs.
BTW, I thought I was complementing you on “not being stupid”.
Perhaps I was wrong there.
“I said that the introduction of government never reduces costs.”
Sherman Anti Trust Act.
Europe is a huge market that is only willing to pay X times cost of production. The US is paying for the R&D. Without us its likely much R&R would be curtailed. All of the new drugs tend to come from the US; this is not accidental.
6 to 16 X in price.
The Sherman Act didn’t reduce costs. That act was about monopolies. Interestingly enough, the Act was primarily aimed at Rockefeller’s Standard Oil. You know, that “robber baron” nonsense.
Guess what, the price of gasoline fell every year he owned Standard Oil. What a thief.
Stuart
“The Sherman Act didn’t reduce costs”
The monopolies fixed prices. They did not fix them low. The stoped competition. No competition equals higher prices. The Sherman Anti Trust Act absolutely, positively lowered prices.
This conversation is getting ridiculous.
Stuart
Argue your point about the Sherman Anti Trust Act not lowering prices with the US Justice Department.
h ttps://www.justice.gov/atr/price-fixing-bid-rigging-and-market-allocation-schemes
Price Fixing, Bid Rigging, and Market Allocation Schemes:
What They Are and What to Look For
An Antitrust Primer
This primer briefly describes the most common antitrust violations and outlines those conditions and events that indicate anticompetitive collusion.
Introduction(1)
American consumers have the right to expect the benefits of free and open competition — the best goods and services at the lowest prices. Public and private organizations often rely on a competitive bidding process to achieve that end. The competitive process only works, however, when competitors set prices honestly and independently. When competitors collude, prices are inflated and the customer is cheated. Price fixing, bid rigging, and other forms of collusion are illegal and are subject to criminal prosecution by the Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice.
Stuart
Sherman Antitrust Act
The law attempts to prevent the artificial raising of prices by restriction of trade or supply. “Innocent monopoly”, or monopoly achieved solely by merit, is perfectly legal, but acts by a monopolist to artificially preserve that status, or nefarious dealings to create a monopoly, are not. The purpose of the Sherman Act is not to protect competitors from harm from legitimately successful businesses, nor to prevent businesses from gaining honest profits from consumers, but rather to preserve a competitive marketplace to protect consumers from abuses.
“6 to 16 X in price.”
One last time: you cannot draw any inference from price alone. You R&D statement proves that by itself.
“All of the new drugs tend to come from the US”
Tell that to Bayer… or AstraZenica… or GlaxoSmithKline… or Novartis… or Sanofi… or Roche.
You’re a Sociology Prof aren’t you.
Kevin2,
I enjoy our “discussions” because you are well grounded enough to be worth “discussing” with. Perhaps that’s why I tend to be a bit harsh on you when you veer off the rails here and again…
I don’t mean the jabs personally… even if you are a Sociology professor 🙂
““All of the new drugs tend to come from the US”
Tell that to Bayer… or AstraZenica… or GlaxoSmithKline… or Novartis… or Sanofi… or Roche.”
That comes from US money. We pay for their R&D. See below Insulin $21 in Canada, $450 in USA. Yes their multi national companies that are reaping (or raping) from the US.
Stuart,
Not all of us are stupid. Stupidity is not a Race thing. It’s not an Ethnic thing. It’s not even an hereditary thing. It’s a Learned thing (habit).
Simply put, it is a Choice.
Stupid is as stupid does.
~ Forrest Gump
Gump’s stupidity talked to all kinds of strange people, regardless of mores, punched someone when he had to, and rendered assistance as a first responder, when people with 10 times his IQ had no executive function.
What a stupid statement.
I bet, Forrest Gump would know how to solve this problem.
Moderator – why are you not allowing a reference to GoodRX? IT might help quite a few of our readers.
Can FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019 Tackle This huge Problem? who won WWC2019 Tomorrow, the accomplished U.S. side fights the essentially more youthful Netherlands side for the title in Lyon, France. The Dutch are presently positioned eighth in the FIFA World positioning (as compared to U.S. First ), are taking part in just their subsequent World Cup ever, have one day less rest, and they missed the star striker Lieke Martens because of some injuries . So Dutch have chance to get trophy
Can FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019 Tackle This huge Problem? who won WWC2019
In any case, the vast majority of the potential victors of the current year’s World Cup 2019 won’t be on the Stade de Lyon field (or the contribute as it’s been said football) this Sunday. Truth be told, by far most may not be conceived at this point. On the off chance that the 2019 World Cup were to truly satisfy its potential effect, it will be a significant achievement headed straight toward getting a lot more young ladies and ladies to begin playing football. just not in the United State. be that as it may, the world over.
Big Pharma is a member of Big Corporate. Again, we can largely thank the Republican Party for creating Big Corporate.
Another thing that rots my teeth is Big Law. FedGov was given the right to manage patents. I get that. But today when a drug patent expires Big Corporate hires Big Law to stonewall generic competitors.
Montana Guy
“Again, we can largely thank the Republican Party for creating Big Corporate.”
Please explain. I do not see the Democrat party riding to the rescue on anything after having simultaneously holding both houses and the presidency in the past. Bill Clinton eviscerated Glass-Steagall, George Bush predecessor father and if need by son would have done the same. Quit the Democrat v Republican scam regarding the money interests, both are owned by them.
Kevin, where is there a bigger Swamp of Big Corporate than the Republicans’ post 9/11 Warfare State, Torture State, Police State, Prison State, Security State, and Surveillance State?
No difference in either party except Guns & Abortion which maintain the illusion that there is a difference. NAFTA & the evisceration of Glass-Steagall which deregulated the most corrupt unethical business on the planet FINANCE & BANKING was done by the Democrat god Bill Clinton. They both feed from the same corporate bowl. Democrats love war, didn’t use to but they ain’t the Bobby Kennedy, Eugene McCarthy democrats. They scorn Tulsi Gabbard not because of guns, abortion nor gay rights, it’s because she is anti war.
There are two political party’s Globalists and Nationalists. Forget Der & Rep
“No difference in either party except Guns & Abortion”
Well, that’s enough for me!
If the SOB who wants my vote doesn’t trust me with my gun, then why should I trust him? I’m just a simple black or white kinda guy.
Stuart
I’ve been voting the NRA / ILA guide for three + decades; that means for republicans. I hold my nose and voted for otherwise anti constitutionalists on almost every other issue. The democrats are also the same regardless of the intentional speech (Obama going the greatest oratory) to the contrary. When it comes to foreign affairs, banking, NSA / CIA they’re all the same.
The nation has been hijacked.
Montana Guy
If you think democrats are a solution to corporate greed and political corruption I have this to say:
Hillary & Bill Clinton
From their “foundation” to selling both the State Department and working man / woman (NAFTA , China Free Trade , Glass-Steagall evisceration) down the drain while maintaining “Saint Status” from their followers one can say corruption is everywhere. I’ll say this Bill Clinton was a very willing accomplice but both Dick Chaney and GH Bush 41 were masterminds. Regardless looking at both party’s in the swamp is analogous to looking at an alligator and crocodile.
Amen!
Kevin, why are you (and others) trying to put me into 1 of 2 boxes? I expose Republicans as evil traitors. Folks here already know that about Democrats. Democrats are the enemy we know. But Republicans are the enemy we sleep with. I ask you, ‘Which enemy is more dangerous?’
“Which enemy is more dangerous”?
Personally I’ll say the Democrats. One side has a core belief of their party to disarm the civilian population. The democrats also adsorb the former peace people, ‘Hippies” and tout their compassion while being as warlike for globalist Wall Street as the Republicans. At least you know where the Republicans come from. The democrats are more deceitful. Regardless there are Nationalist / Patriots and Globalists; party allocation means little to nothing.
This.
Chemistry should work the same way as the 3d printer and CRISPR.
h ttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Replicator_(Star_Trek)
Do they need a background check and a permission slip, every time they use it?
Speaking more conventionally, drugs for every conceivable use are available, in the free market.
The same discussion (of freedom of thought) applies to manufacturing of any materials, into any shape.
People think that it’s wrong and above their payscale, like proper Eloi’s.
The discussion forever comes down to type A’s and B’s. It’s always the same.
Clown World, it seems like the discussion forever comes down to R’s v D’s. Same food, different cafeterias.
The mere existence of drug insurance makes the prices go up. Most people have insurance and only pay the copay. They never see the real price of the medicines. That’s called price discovery. If you only pay a copay, which is the same no matter which drug store you go to, there’s no incentive to shop around. If there were no drug insurance, you would go to whichever drug store had the best price. If the medicine were too high, you simply wouldn’t buy it. The companies would have to lower prices.
As proof, back in the 70s before drug insurance, the average prescription only cost about $2.00. That was the full price. I had to use an asthma inhaler back then. The full price was about $12. Now the copay is $60, and the full price, if I had to pay it, is well over $200.
The lack of price discovery has also caused other medical expenses to go up as well. When I was little, my father would take me to the doctor. After the visit, my father would hand the doctor himself a $10 bill. The doctor would put it in his billfold. That was all. There was no billing staff, no paperwork, or insurance rules to worry about. My sister was born in 1971. The total hospital bill was only about $700, and my father paid it in cash.
Doing away with the insurance, except for catastrophic events, would save us a lot in the long term.
As a side note, I don’t buy the expensive inhaler now. My other prescriptions are so cheap, the insurance pays zero on them. I pay the full price, which, for all of them together, is around $30 a month.
This entire capitalist system runs off of bribes and kickbacks to keep the money skids greased. That’s how Biden one week can be listed as atop the democratic field, then falling the next week and then back on top again. All of the politicians down to the local levels are a part of this graft. Big Pharma pays them all off to continue the scam.
Medicines are for the health of people, the well being of people. Since the big pharmas cannot control their greed, they need to be treated like a monopoly.
Legalizing all drugs to over the counter status, yes all drugs, then the black market would be gone which is the real problem.
People in authority, make laws to make drugs illegal and then these people of authority shout drug addict, illegal drugs, and on and on. As these people make a million every week sellng the illegal drugs
The opiate crisis is a fabricated situation, just to make more money for the few.
Stuart
You need to tell the people going over to Canada that they are not paying 1/20th ($21 v $450) and to stay home because they’re imagining the savings. Interestingly I have been to Canada. The place looks a lot alike the USA One USD = $1.3 Canadian dollars.
A 10 mL bottle of insulin in the U.S. has a list price of about $450.
Canada, a comparable bottle of insulin costs about $21.
https://www.drugwatch.com/featured/us-drug-prices-higher-vs-world/
Firing squads could end excessive drug prices raises.
Dead forum?
Mac have a medical issue?
Black suv’s pick him up?