No matter how common, it is still technically against the law to import prescription drugs here from other countries (cite). Please avoid discussion of illegal activities. Thanks.
Not to pick a nit, but that cite relates to drugs that are not FDA-approved. There are plenty of drugs that are FDA-approved, and sometimes even manufactured in the United States, but sold much more cheaply outside the United States.
My reading of that and a few other cites is different in that I think the exception generally only applies to drugs that can’t be found in the US (see, for example, the last paragraph here). But I don’t want to hijack this thread any further, so let’s discuss in PM or a new thread if you’d like.
My dog tested positive for lime, last time this happened we just opted to treat him with an antibiotic rather than retesting with the more accurate expensive lime test. That time he was given Amoxicillin because Doxycycline was in short supply. That was about 30 bucks.
This time the 4ds test showed positive and the vet called me to let me know. I was busy so just asked them to call in a prescription to my pharmacy. Showed up at the pharmacy to pick up the prescription and it was over 300 bucks because they prescribed Doxycycline this time. I still went ahead with it. Now every morning when I’m giving him his pills, I’m just thinking to myself ‘you better not spit out those pills, they are like 4 bucks a piece.’
ETA: Just saw the mod note so never mind.
Not being American, nor buying this stuff, I googled and found a few explanations:
Marx’s Iron Law of Monopoly:
*In 2009, generic drug markets were saturated and projections looked dull. To avoid falling into losses, generic drug makers began to consolidate through mergers and acquisitions to achieve the scale needed to maintain profitability. *
Forbes
*“What happens when a drug is no longer particularly attractive to generic manufacturers? Or when the interests of the generic marketplace continue to go towards the second pipeline, the pipeline of drugs that are going off patent now and the drugs that have been off for patents for a while are no longer particularly attractive and get neglected,” he says.
Greene says drugs used to have two cycles – the brand name stage, where the patent protects the work done by companies like Pfizer, and helps them recoup their investment in research.
But then the patent expires, and all manufacturers have a shot to make and sell the drug, ideally, at a much lower cost.
That what Ralph Neas, President of the Generic Pharmaceutical Association is focusing on.
“It may go up 50% or a 100%, whatever it might but you’re still in the pennies and sometimes you get up to a couple dollars. A very few number are more than that,” says Neas.
Here’s what we know: In 2010, the average cost of one of the 50 most prescribed generics was $13. In 2013, it hit $62.*
Witf
A rather dismissive article from a Murdoch rag, deprecating any so-called price rises.
There are myriad reasons for the price hikes, too. The pharmaceutical industry maintains that rising prices reflect rising costs and recouping costs for rare diseases and some cancers justifies large price tags. As for generics, quality-control issues, in some cases, have disrupted production, while competition has waned as some medicines were discontinued when margins fell too much.
*Generally, the increased costs for brand-name drugs reflects what Bryan Birch, the Truveris chief executive, explains is inflationary pressure. These drug makers are under pressure to offer rebates and discounts to pharmacy benefits managers and, to compensate, have been raising wholesale prices.
*
Wall Street Journal
I was under the impression that bribes came under operating expenses rather than pricing.
The NYT had an article about this on 5/15. The short answers are:
a) well, there are lots of reasons, but mostly…
b) because they can.
ETA: the drug companies are even raising the prices of ancient medications. One mentioned in the article I linked is Isuprel, which I remember taking for asthma as a child. Circa 1972.
A serious discussion:Pharmaceutical pricing
Crippling
I promise this isn’t spam, but there have been certain medications that my insurance had decided not to cover so I got sticker shock when the pharmacist told me the actual cost of my generic medicine. It’s insane… so insane that I don’t see anyone who isn’t filthy rich paying for it. But I found a link to the website goodrx.com on another site and went to it… it really helps in getting the best price for your medicines. I realized that my pharmacy that I’ve always went to (CVS) was usually higher than most other pharmacies. And they have a link to any coupons you need right next to the price which is really convenient. Anyway, just thought I’d share something that’s helped me save some money.