Everything is better in Canada, right? :rolleyes:
BTW, do you realize that the Patented Medicine Price Review Board is about as Orwellian as one can get???
No, I did not! At this point, we have your solemn assurance that it is so?
Do you know what “Orwellian” means?
Can you explain that part about patient copay cards? I’ve never encountered that before. What would cause the insurance companies to be slow to mandate the generic? Are they that bureaucratic about losing money?
I didn’t say it was unique. I said it wasn’t wide reaching enough to do what they did, which is to flat out say “That’s how it is. Period. No questions asked.”
Yes.
Obviously the scariest thing in 1984 was when Big Brother kept drug prices reasonable, but still profitable.
Again, I have been an EMT for over 8 years. I’ve administered several injections of epi via epi-pen, both from our EMS bags, and belonging to the patient. I don’t recall having seen any brand besides the one I mentioned before.
Now, it’s entirely possible that I have forgotten seeing another brand, or the vial and syringe mentioned upthread. I can tell you that neither of those are standard in the Louisville, Kentucky/Southern Indiana region of the country. I can’t speak to their popularity in other parts of the country, however.
I hope that this has helped clarify the issue. I trust that it has not.
So what exactly does this make Canada and Canadians in your point of view? Brainwashed? Stupid? Why do so few of them feel oppressed by any of this?
That’s bullshit. It’s been done in many, many countries. And insurance companies negotiate price caps all the time.
No. But then, I’ve never seen anything you’ve ever commented on that you’ve ever understood.
That would be the Randian apocalypse.
In Norway, they cost about U$ 60. But we are a very high-cost country and medical costs are capped at U$ 300/year. Everything beyond that is free.
Anarchy with prevailing recognition of property rights, yes. Though, you wouldn’t need to go that far to abolish intellectual property laws and unleash competition.
So, Anarchy Lite?
Canada, France, the UK, Germany, Spain, Norway…
Refreshingly smooth, yet full-bodied.
Can someone give me a definition of reasonable with regard to drug prices? I’m not looking for extreme example such as this one to use as a strawman, but what you think that a reasonable profit on a drug would be that would still allow for investing in development in this space.
The EU has half a dozen companies making generic epi-pens. The existence of competition is what keeps the price low.
The difference between the EU and US in this respect is not their healthcare systems, intellectual property regimes, or regulation of drugs as such. The difference is that Mylan happens to have captured the regulatory bureaucracy in the US, to prevent the entrance of generic competitors, in a way that has not happened in the EU.
The solution is simple. Pass a bill that says that if an EU regulatory authority approves of a drug or device, then it is automatically approved for sale in the US. It is much harder (impossible?) for a company like Mylan to capture the FDA-equivalents in a dozen countries.
Running those numbers, I calculate that last year the list price was $529, of which Mylan got $295 and “the other parties” got $234. This year, Mylan raised the list price to $608 but got only $274 (thus making slightly less revenue even while selling 7% more units). While “the other parties” increased their cut from $234 to $334, or an increase of 42%!! So who deserves to be fucked with an epi-pen here??
My interpretation of this is that “the other parties” negotiated and actually threatened to reduce availability of this life saving treatment unless they would get more profits!! So who deserves to be fucked with an epi-pen here??