Pharmacies fuck you in the ass

[Trevor]

For those of you that don't want to read this, it basically says that COSTCO charges barely over cost for their medicine while other pharmacies charge up to 3000% more!

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 States 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 data 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: 1 0 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%

Norvasc: 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 tablets) : $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%

Since the cost of prescription drugs is so outrageous, I thought everyone should know about this. Please read the following and pass it on. It pays to shop around. 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 tha t did not adhere to this practice, and he said that Costco consistently charged little over their cost for
the generic drugs.

I went to the Costco site, 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, Compazine, 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 Costco for $28.08.

I would like to mention, that although Costco is 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. I am asking each of you to please help me by copying this letter, and passing it into your own e-mail, and send it to everyone you know with an e-mail address.

Sharon L. Davis
Budget Analyst
U.S . Department of Commerce
Room 6839
Office Ph: 202-482-4458
Office Fax: 202-482-5480
E-mail Address: Compose?To=sdavis@doc.gov

[purple-haze]

dude i totally hear you about the pharmacy thing. they jack up prices to slang their thing. but how different is that from the e-dealers slanging their shit at the parties? There's a a huge markup from the shit they get it (i.e. wholesale or hookup rate) to what the etards pay @ parties

[Nacia]

mostly everything is overpriced somewhere, shop around for everything. thats the economy for you, it screws us over and makes some little owner happy and rich with no soul.

[MORGS]

Yeah it is fucking insane i have a couple of meds i take for migraines and even with insurance it cost's a grip of money.

But if you are in mexico you can get it a little cheaper there i did a little shopping this weekend

[rAvInPsYcHoNaUt]

Originally Posted by MORGS

But if you are in mexico you can get it a little cheaper there I did a little shopping this weekend

Haha, you have to be careful though making any transactions over the border...

My friend's mom went to the Dentist because she had a root canal and didnt have insurance, she went to Mexico to a dentist down thuuurrrr, and he ended up "fixing" the wrong tooth. She went down again, to "fix" the tooth in need, and he ended up just fucking up her root canal. So in the end she had to go to a dentist up here and pay up the ASS to fix an already fucked with root canal, and just another fucked up tooth...I dont know the details exactly.

All I know is you can't catch my ass over that border unless I'm relaxing on the beach in Cabo San Lucas.

[SpectraBrite]

yum, pharms ....

[Melody]

Wow, Im impressed, Trevor Usually on my other board, when people post stuff like this its usually a huge batch of poo. This is actually true though - [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Good thing my insurance covers most of my meds, because I had to buy a LOT while I was pregnant both times. And now with kids - one of which has bad skin problems. Oy. The pharmacy would be raping my bank account if I had to pay for all my meds.

[GonzoRaver]

wow Trevor! That's amazing! I had no idea!

[Exstaglee]

I've been told that their marked up that much because the drug companies need to get paid for the research and development that goes into finding those drugs. If im not mistaken it costs millions to test a drug, let alone create it and market it.

But then i hear stories of people going across the border and getting the same meds for dirt cheap.... so its probably another ploy that we fall into

thanks for the info

[Mad Scientist]

Not only does Costco have cheaper prescription drugs, but on the weekends they have free samples of a bunch of their food!! Its a Stoner paradise!! My roommates and I go there on the weekends for lunch!! Go college diet!!!

[Summer]

Raves now in days cost 40/50 dollars cuz Dj's/promoters need to get paid. Same with Pharmacies. A Pharmacist gets paid 40/50 dollars an hour. A pharmacy technician gets paid about 15/18 dollars an hour. Thats not considering how much the pill maker gets paid, drug representatives, delivery company , truck driver, etc.
There are tablets that are almost 10 dollars a tab!
The best thing to do is shop around. You can check the internet. Go to Mexico. Usually, Costco has the cheaper prices. Rite Aid sucks!, Walgreen is a little cheaper than Rite Aid. You can always check a Moms and Pops store. Sometimes theyre cheaper than Costco. Or you can ask the pharmacy if they compare prices. Most pharmacies compare prices within a 15 mile radius.
If you have no money, no insurance. Ask your Doctor for samples. They usually stock some. Drug representatives need to market their product.
Low income? look into Medical, Medicare, Planned Parenthood, I.E.H.P, CCS, Molina, etc.
Or just ask around, there maybe somebody hustling that shit. YOu know, somebody getting a prescription Just so they can get there fix. haha. Sharing is caring!

[Ante]

Well! I must comment here though the original post is somewhat old. Yes, the cost of drugs.. If you dont like to read posts that make you think, then leave; I see all too many posts such as "Uh, um, this is too long, yea, I'm out.) I will be the antagonist here, siding with the drug companies in most ways, but with your view in others. PS, where did those stats on drug cost come from originally? Just curious, it seems that those numbers would be hidden from the genreal public..

Point one in support, yes; drugs cost money, and like anything else you may buy will have the cost inflated. And yes, they probably do jack costs up more than the cost markup of a cheeseburger because people WILL pay for the drug, whether by insurance or out of pocket.

Now though, in defense of the companies we so critically complain about who in turn save our lives and increase or quality of life. And no, I dont work for a drug company, I'm a tech student in Illinois with an open mind.

We'll start with the accounting situation. As I assume you may know, companies spend an average of a decade testing in multiple studies before the drug will even be released for approval. 10 years. Even things such as Xanax, with the apparent markup of almost 600k selling price. The accounting equation is simple; owners equity=assets minus liabilities. Now most companies (NO large corporations) dont account in dollars for product. They use a different method, one of which is liabilities now, assets later, just for example. Now imagine your a drug exec listening to your accountants. "Well if you proceed at this rate on R&D, research, and internal costs, you'll have spend X-million dollars by X date." Well, taking Xanax again into account for example, just IMAGINE how much money was spent creating a neuro drug and how to recover the incurred costs. Granted drugs, like cigs, fuel, and many other comodities are overpriced only because people will buy them undoubtedly not paying attention to the demand/supply field, but still. Your "2 dollar" Xanax spent over a decade in research, development, and production before the product was actually MADE for profit. People brains were damaged, thousands of researchers failed at their work, and thousands, if not millions, of man-hours were spent creating that. Assets must match and exceed liabilites for a company to be successful, and without successful drug companies that dont have liquid assets to maintain and build more advanced facilites we would ALL be out of luck. These companies execs are no more rich than the execs of mills or other random chains in the higher ranks of profitability.

Now again, take the cost of R&D, testing for a decade, research among clinical patients. and finally the low end costs of bottling and pharmacist labor that all comes into play when you buy a boring ald drug that we all thik should cost less. Prior to thr 1900s all drugs were "as is" with no guarantee. Eh, I'm bored and tired, Ill check back later..