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Lablady2
Old Hand
Reged: 05/05/04
Posts: 467
Loc: New York City
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This ought to make everyone's blood boil over - just read this elsewhere and it is too informative NOT to post here!
The woman who wrote this email and signed below are Federal Budget Analysts in Washington, D.C.
Did you ever wonder how much it costs a drug company for the active ingredient in prescription medications? Some people think it must cost a lot, since many drugs sell for more than $2.00 per tablet. We did a search of offshore chemical synthesizers that supply the active ingredients found in drugs approved by the FDA.
As we have revealed in past issues of Life Extension, a significant percentage of drugs sold in the United State contain active ingredients made in other countries. In our independent investigation of how much profit drug companies really make, we obtained the actual price of active ingredients used in some of the most popular drugs sold in America.
The chart below speaks for itself.
Celebrex 100 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $130.27
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.60
Percent markup: 21,712%
Claritin 10 mg
Consumer Price (100 tablets): $215.17
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.71
Percent markup: 30,306%
Keflex 250 mg
Consumer Price (100 tablets): $157.39
Cost of general active ingredients: $1.88
Percent markup: 8,372%
Lipitor 20 mg
Consumer Price (100 tablets): $272.37
Cost of general active ingredients: $5.80
Percent markup: 4,696%
Norvasec 10 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $188.29
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.14
Percent markup: 134,493%
Paxil 20 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $220.27
Cost of general active ingredients: $7.60
Percent markup: 2,898%
Prevacid 30 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $44.77
Cost of general active ingredients: $1.01
Percent markup: 34,136%
Prilosec 20 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $360.97
Cost of general active ingredients $0.52
Percent markup: 69,417%
Prozac 20 mg
Consumer price (100 t! ablets) : $247.47
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.11
Percent markup: 224,973%
Tenormin 50 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $104.47
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.13
Percent markup: 80,362%
Vasotec 10 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $102.37
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.20
Percent markup: 51,185%
Xanax 1 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets) : $136.79
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.024
Percent markup: 569,958%
Zestril 20 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets) $89.89
Cost of general active ingredients $3.20
Percent markup: 2,809%
Zithromax 600 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $1,482.19
Cost of general active ingredients: $18.78
Percent markup: 7,892%
Zocor 40 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $350.27
Cost of general active ingredients: $8.63
Percent markup: 4,059%
Zoloft 50 mg
Consumer price: $206.87
Cost of general active ingredients: $1.75
Percent markup: 11,821%
This helps to solve the mystery as to why they can afford to put a Walgreen's on every corner.
On Monday night, Steve Wilson, an investigative reporter for Channel 7 News in Detroit, did a story on generic drug price gouging by pharmacies. He found in his investigation, that some of these generic drugs were marked up as much as 3,000% or more. Yes, that's not a typo ... three thousand percent! So often, we blame the drug companies for the high cost of drugs and usually rightfully so. But in this case, the fault clearly lies with the pharmacies themselves. For example, if you had to buy a prescription drug, and bought the name brand, you might pay $100 for 100 pills.
The pharmacist might tell you that if you get the generic equivalent, they would only cost $80, making you think you are "saving" $20. What the pharmacist is not telling you is that those 100 generic pills may have only cost him $10!
At the end of the report, one of the anchors asked Mr. Wilson whether or not there were any pharmacies that did not adhere to this practice, and he said that Costco, Sam's Club and other discount volume stores consistently charged little over their cost for the generic drugs. I went to the discount store's website, where you can look up any drug, and get its online price. It says that the in-store prices are consistent with the online prices. I was appalled.
Just to give you one example from my own experience, I had to use the drug, Comparing, which helps prevent nausea in chemo patients. I used the generic equivalent, which cost $54.99 for 60 pills at CVS. I checked the price at Costco, and I could have bought 100 pills for $19..89. For 145 of my pain pills, I paid $72.57. I could have got 150 at another discount store for $28.08. I would like to mention that although these are a membership" type store, you do NOT have to be a member to buy prescriptions there, as it is a federally regulated substance. You just tell them at the door that you wish to use the pharmacy, and they will let you in. (This is true, I went there this past Thursday and asked them.)
Sharon L. Davis
Budget Analyst
U.S. Department of Commerce
Room 6839
Office Ph: 202-482-4458
Office Fax: 202-482-5480
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JethroBodine
Enthusiast
Reged: 06/20/03
Posts: 203
Loc: Ozark Mountains
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Yes, outrageous markups every step of the way. But ask the pharmacy how much it costs them to follow government regulations. Ask them how much security measures cost them, due to the governments war on drugs.
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??????????????????????
I'm not a doctor, though
I pay one frequently.
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Therion
Enthusiast
Reged: 06/14/04
Posts: 205
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Lablady, I think you are being far too alarmist and far too hard on the drug companies. If they didn't charge thousands of percentage points over cost, how in the world would the drug company CEO's be able to afford seven or eight houses, including the island get-away and the New York townhouse for the mistress? How would they be able to afford their Lear Jets?
Do you realize that if we cut the cost of drugs that THOUSANDS of quarter-horse groomers would suddenly be out of a job? And what about the guy whose job it is to polish the hood ornament on the Rolls Royce? What's HE supposed to do when these CEOs' golden parachutes are withdrawn? And can you IMAGINE how utterly traumatic it would be for some of these folks to have to move from a 120-room mansion to a (gasp!) 85-room mansion? Think of the THERAPY they'd have to undergo.
And if these godlike individuals couldn't afford the plethora of accountants and attorneys they currently employ, they might even have to PAY TAXES!!!! Lablady, you have SOME NERVE! I demand that you apologize to all the drug company CEOs that you have just insulted!
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prettyday
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 02/09/03
Posts: 1102
Loc: Coastal Sage Scrub
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I want to laugh, that was such a funny post, but I can't stop crying. I am getting a little worried now; I can't shake my terror. I guess that's why I connected to the Andy thread...I know logic and law and compassion will never connect, and I can ignore that most days, but for the the last two, all I can think is what I wrote once on another thread;
how can companies profit on scrap metal, copper, concrete, car wrecks, demolitions, but we are told we are children of God and not to be messed with, but
can't everyone see how quickly they throw us away?
How can they do that?
And I freak more when I see people wrapping themselves in the cocoon of "I don't order from here or there, so I'll be all right!"
Don't people understand that if we don't make a stand now, they'll be knocking at the ROP door next...that's the selfish reason I do want the companies all going, they provide a "radar" for the next anti-pain patient wave...I am no altruist; I wish I was but I can never forget that no matter how much I help someone else, give of myself, still spiritually I get a reward in the giving, so it is not selfless...well, that's my motive here, the more I know the more I can anticipate the next move...
not very nice, I know.
Now, I feel all this fear...I was born with these pain causing problems...I had stuff that made it worse...I don't say this for pity...but just...there is nothing except a certain date of death that will make doctors want to treat you long-term anymore, and sweethearts, I am here to tell you, you can hurt, and live, a long time.
Now I am worried how long I will live, in these times...
Please someone help me. I am in despair.
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First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.
- Mahatma Gandhi
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Lablady2
Old Hand
Reged: 05/05/04
Posts: 467
Loc: New York City
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Therion - if you want outrageous - I used to work for one of these charming companies - just PM me with your e-mail address and I will tell you stories that even you would not believe - hard on these companies - u better believe it - they are the scum of the earth!!!!!!!!!
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emb708
Journeyman
Reged: 08/30/04
Posts: 61
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i know Steve Wilson he is a great guy he fights for the right of poeple in detor area he helped me once when i needed it companys and the goverment here do not want him on there bad said he has done alot he also showed where costco(the where house store like sames club)does not mark up the cost more than a few % like they should be and you do not need to be a meber to use their drug store meds that was in the 100's at walgreens and rightad was under $20 their!poeple here are now save lots of money and now senior centers
take them buy the bus loded to costco and no need to leave the US to get cheep meds and costco said they still make all the money they need off meds before the store even was showen.
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willjr73
Newbie
Reged: 12/15/04
Posts: 32
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Very informative. Thanks. Just another way to take money out of peoples pockets so that the big guys can live lavishly. I believe it!
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ele123
Journeyman
Reged: 09/20/03
Posts: 74
Loc: MO
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At least it's the pharmacies that are trying to rip us off, and not the drug companies (as much). This way, we consumers have the power. We can choose to buy from the cheaper phamacies. If the drug companies were the ones charging an arm and a leg (to the pharmacies), then all the pharmacies would have to over charge us.
At least, that's what I took away from the article - that, and a little nausea.
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Lablady2
Old Hand
Reged: 05/05/04
Posts: 467
Loc: New York City
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Drug companies not ripping you off - oh brother - hate to issue a wake-up call - but I used to work for one of the major houses - rip off, falsified data in clinical studies - bribing officials, u name it - it goes on. Oh - did I mention the money spend on lobbying in DC - only the NRA spends more money lobbying. Trust me the money is NOT spent on research..........
The pharmacys are only taking their share of the action - and trust me there are many agreements between the large pharm houses and the large chain drugstores!
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ele123
Journeyman
Reged: 09/20/03
Posts: 74
Loc: MO
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I guess what I meant was, they don't seem to be ripping us off
as much. It sounds like they sell their drugs to the pharmacies for a resonable price (they do have to do some R&D after all), and then the pharmacies jack the price way up.
But, it sounds like you would know more about it than me, so maybe I'm wrong (that does happen every ten years or so) 
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Skott
Newbie
Reged: 11/04/04
Posts: 29
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Just have to chime in, since I work in the Research field, and although I'm working in Neutraceuticals now, I spent 2.5 years working in Pharmaceutical research. I can say that some of these companies are very money hungry, but you also need to realize that the cost of research for a new drug to come out on the market costs a drug company 1,000,000 per day to conduct the research and each study exceeds 1,000,000,000.00 in total costs before they can market a drug. An application to the FDA just to see if you can do a study on a new drug costs the company 250,000.00. Just wanted to shed some light, that they do spend a lot of money on research before hand to get these meds approved, but there are some things I think they can do to cut costs on both ends.
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