What Drug Stores Don't Want You To Know

[Liberalman]

What Drug Stores Don't Want You To Know

The drug store war is heating up in Ontario.

Ever since the health ministry in Ontario told the drug stores that they were only to charge 50% on generic drugs and told the drug makers to stop paying drugstores professional fees, the drug stores have gone on the war path by reducing store hours, getting rid of patient counselling and start charging for deliveries for their customers.

You might think those mean government bureaucrats are making us suffer and always persecuting business that want to help us.

According to a news report from U.S. of A. A reporter found out about Custco a very popular discount big box store in North America on what they charge for generic drugs and what they pay for it. The price difference is unbelievable.

Our friendly nabourhood drug store has been leading us down the garden path gouging as much as they could just like highway robbers up here in the frigid north.



Story verifiedhttp://www.snopes.com/medical/drugs/generic.asp


Make sure you read to the end. You will be amazed.


Let's hear it for Costco! (This is just mind-boggling!)

Make sure you read all the way past the list of the drugs. The woman that signed below is a Budget Analyst out of federal Washington , DC offices.

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 .

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%
Error! Filename not specified.

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.
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 prices gouging by pharmacies. He found in his investigation that some of these generic drugs were marked up as much as 3,000% or more. 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 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.

 

[darkbeaver]

I posted this here a couple of years ago I think. Nobody payed the slightest attention so I thought I'd pay a visit and post just so you don't get the idea nobody cares. Of course it would have started a riot if not for the fact that the junk makes us dull fat lethargic victims. Recently it was published that the second leading cause of premature death in the states was from prescription drugs, see any riots?

 

[Liberalman]

I posted this here a couple of years ago I think. Nobody payed the slightest attention so I thought I'd pay a visit and post just so you don't get the idea nobody cares. Of course it would have started a riot if not for the fact that the junk makes us dull fat lethargic victims. Recently it was published that the second leading cause of premature death in the states was from prescription drugs, see any riots?

The dull fat lethargic victims we're going to take them by force but I just can't find those damn twinkies

 

[Tonington]

The active ingredient is not what makes drugs expensive. Is this actually a surprise?

Also, Paxil and all the others are not generic drugs, or bio-similars. They are the drugs that generics copy the formula of.

Some generic drug manufacturers are now selling their generics before the patent runs out, and using the money they save by not doing research to fight the lawsuits.

 

[JLM]

What Drug Stores Don't Want You To Know

The drug store war is heating up in Ontario.

Ever since the health ministry in Ontario told the drug stores that they were only to charge 50% on generic drugs and told the drug makers to stop paying drugstores professional fees, the drug stores have gone on the war path by reducing store hours, getting rid of patient counselling and start charging for deliveries for their customers.

You might think those mean government bureaucrats are making us suffer and always persecuting business that want to help us.

According to a news report from U.S. of A. A reporter found out about Custco a very popular discount big box store in North America on what they charge for generic drugs and what they pay for it. The price difference is unbelievable.

Our friendly nabourhood drug store has been leading us down the garden path gouging as much as they could just like highway robbers up here in the frigid north.



Story verifiedhttp://www.snopes.com/medical/drugs/generic.asp


Make sure you read to the end. You will be amazed.


Let's hear it for Costco! (This is just mind-boggling!)

Make sure you read all the way past the list of the drugs. The woman that signed below is a Budget Analyst out of federal Washington , DC offices.

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 .

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%
Error! Filename not specified.

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.
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 prices gouging by pharmacies. He found in his investigation that some of these generic drugs were marked up as much as 3,000% or more. 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 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.

My first reaction was.....................OUTRAGEOUS

Then I got to thinking - how much money was spent on putting together the ingredients originally and testing and retesting, going through all the hoops necessary to be able to market a safe, effective and fool proof drug. Then I got to thinking about other ways to recoup these costs.

 

[darkbeaver]

Yes of course, safe effective and fool proof second leading cause of death. Whatever the market will bear I suppose.

ps: the only way to improve would be to become the first cause of premature death, not to worry, they are efficient killers, moving forward. The records support their progressive efforts.

 

[Bar Sinister]

Canada badly needs a national pharmacare program. That would solve a number of problems. First, it would lead to better regulation of the price of pharmaceuticals. Second, it would enable those who cannot afford prescription medicines to get them. Right now access to affordable prescription drugs is the weakest part of Canada's medicare system, forcing many to cheat on their prescriptions or go without. Finally, it would take much of the profit out of the drug racket, lowering prices considerably.

 

[Ron in Regina]

I remember reading a while back that the claimed cost of the drugs was
due to the "research" to discover the drugs themselves, and that the
average cost per drug was claimed around a billion dollars or so....

Then I read elsewhere that about 85% of the cost of discovering most
new drugs was carried by governments (the drug companies carried
about 15% of that cost)....which brought the average cost claimed for
a new drug on the market to about $150,000,000.00 (about a 1/6th of
what the drug companies claimed.

The big expense isn't in discovering new drugs, but in marketing them,
it seems. A good example of this would be the drug "Thalidomide."

Thalidomide was created 50 or 60 years ago from what I remember,
and was later discovered to cause horrible birth defects. It went from
being very expensive to being worth nothing (or very close to it).

Recently, is was discovered that this old drug was extremely effective
in treating certain forms of cancer. Hmmm.... now that drug is extremely
-extremely expensive again due to....? Research? Marketing? because
the Market will bear the cost?

 

[TenPenny]

I wonder if any of that has any bearing on Canadian Costco stores.

 

[Kreskin]

My first reaction was.....................OUTRAGEOUS

Then I got to thinking - how much money was spent on putting together the ingredients originally and testing and retesting, going through all the hoops necessary to be able to market a safe, effective and fool proof drug. Then I got to thinking about other ways to recoup these costs.

Exactly. What a silly math exercise this article is. It's like saying the markup on software is 100,000% because the active ingredients (1's and 0's) are nothing.