$136 Medical Drug Being Sold At $94,000 In The US & $300 (as generic) In India

[uclaLabrat]

Honest question: I'm not a doctor etc, but there do appear to be alternatives. According to your article these drugs only appeared in Dec 2013.

The previous drugs, based on Ribavirin, appear to be far less expensive than the new one.

My question: Why not just take the less expensive alternative that people have been using for years and years?

Fern

Because it sucks? Ribavirin is also far less effective and also happens to give you flu-like symptoms for 6 months. You feel like you want to die. Sovaldi doesn't have those side effects.

 

[uclaLabrat]

That's true, and it's a good point. But it's also true that they often spend more on marketing (which, granted, is a necessary thing for some drugs and may lower overall costs) and that a lot of drugs are profit drugs to gain a share of a competitor's market. It's a benefit to us as competition drives cost down and one drug may work better for some people than the original, but it's not like a brand new treatment.

Personally I'm against drug companies being allowed to wholesale any drug in America for more than they wholesale the same drug anywhere else. We're subsidizing almost every other nation's drugs, and I'm really not seeing much up side here.

This has been true for quite some time. The US subsidizes the cost of drug development for the entire world, for the most part. Part of it is our ability to pay, we're the richest country in the world and we have disposable income and a population base where we can defray the costs of development. We also have the most developed biotech industry in the entire world, and the best environment for biotech startups (which fosters innovation).

Why don't the pharma companies charge the same in india as they do here? Two reasons: other governments control the healthcare market in their respective countries (the US doesn't) and won't allow higher prices, and also those populations in poorer countries can't afford to pay. The price is cheaper in India because people can only pay so much in India. Better to charge $300 per course and get a few million in revenue from the entire country than to charge $80K per course and get zero revenue.

 

[MooseNSquirrel]

Congrats man!

But back on point: I pay way too much for my son's meds. He's on Novolog insulin, a very common drug that has been around forever. The cost is out of control and I hate it.

BUT I would not want to rely on the government for his health care. Since he was diagnosed 13 years ago we have gone from giving him injections with a mix of insulin that I had to come up with an algebra formula to balance with his exercise and diet. Back then he had to eat at set times, eat set amounts of carbs and even eat when he wasn't hungry. Ever try making a 4 year old eat when they aren't hungry? Its not happening. But now he eats whatever he wants, whenever he wants. He has an insulin pump with a touch screen that is smaller than his cell phone. Oh..and his blood glucose monitor syncs with his smart phone for easy pattern tracking. I don't think we would be anywhere near close to where we are if the government was in charge of that stuff.

So I pay a lot for his supplies and insulin. I hate it but I know its what is best.

Actually Diabetes highlights everything wrong with our current system.

One touch has been making the same damn test strip since 199something and the price has only gone up with increased market demand and competition. Well except for insurance companies, they get to negotiate decent rates. But if you are buying over the counter? hehehehehe yes please may I have another.

At least in Canada everyone pays the same damn thing.

 

[Screech]

Congrats man!

But back on point: I pay way too much for my son's meds. He's on Novolog insulin, a very common drug that has been around forever. The cost is out of control and I hate it.

BUT I would not want to rely on the government for his health care. Since he was diagnosed 13 years ago we have gone from giving him injections with a mix of insulin that I had to come up with an algebra formula to balance with his exercise and diet. Back then he had to eat at set times, eat set amounts of carbs and even eat when he wasn't hungry. Ever try making a 4 year old eat when they aren't hungry? Its not happening. But now he eats whatever he wants, whenever he wants. He has an insulin pump with a touch screen that is smaller than his cell phone. Oh..and his blood glucose monitor syncs with his smart phone for easy pattern tracking. I don't think we would be anywhere near close to where we are if the government was in charge of that stuff.

So I pay a lot for his supplies and insulin. I hate it but I know its what is best.

Actually Diabetes highlights everything wrong with our current system.

One touch has been making the same damn test strip since 199something and the price has only gone up with increased market demand and competition. Well except for insurance companies, they get to negotiate decent rates. But if you are buying over the counter? hehehehehe yes please may I have another.

At least in Canada everyone pays the same damn thing.

diabetics represent! warning: This might be slightly off topic but it is interesting stuff IMHO.

this is a tricky issue for me.....on one hand I can see the argument that with expensive (but often covered at least somewhat by insurance) products that are purchased we can make advances that help with care whereas other countries would have a hard time, and on the other hand sometimes the price is ridiculous but at least there is always a fallback. Source: type 1 diabetic for 22 years, I've gone through pretty much every combination of insulin, pumps, monitors, etc. If you can't afford the pump (and the infusion sites etc) you can use lantus and novolog pens which are comparatively cheaper, etc. But looking back, I think insulin pumps and continuous monitoring systems pretty much started here. could be wrong. i might have to check that.

It is still an active field though.......the strips have gotten to a point where they are I think hitting up against a bit of a wall in terms of how small of a blood sample you can use, but in insulin there is always research on the next big thing. Regular used to be the only real choice for rDNA insulin, then there was humalog, then novolog, apidra.......in long lasting insulins, it used to be primarily NPH, then the lente series(semi,ultra....good stuff, I think it got phased out too early), then lantus, levemir, etc. So those have indeed at least somewhat progressed. I use novolog and its only been available since ~2000 or so. If you want to read up on what I think is some really exciting stuff for the next big step I would suggest http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/16/magazine/why-are-there-so-few-new-drugs-invented-today.html?_r=0

Anyway, long story short.....as long as I could find a way to pay for it I would stick with pump and dexcom simply because it allows for better control now, fewer amputations later......but if I couldn't, well, I guess I would fall back to plan B. If I didn't have the money for that, I'd simply be dead. yay. lol. But a lot of the crazy costs of those drugs are still funding further research.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

Thanks, Obama.

Yes. We all know that Obama is responsible for decades of health care, intellectual property, and import/export policies. It's definitely all Obama's fault.

I couldn't imagine, for a second, that Republicans would support policies that help Big Pharma and the Haves and Have Mores get richer at the expense of the lower classes. Nah, the Republicans would never support economic policies like that.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

That's why it is better to travel to India to get treatment. It may be illegal to purchase the medicine in India and have it shipped here for $300 (+ S&H) but it is not illegal to be a patient there.

It really would make economic sense to go do that, and you could probably live like a king while you're over there. Heck, Americans are already going to Mexico for dental procedures.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

Shorter version of OP: I think _____ makes too much money doing _____ and I think he should only be allowed to make $______ instead.

In other words, perhaps it's not such a good thing for the top 1% or 5% to own an inordinately large percentage of the nation's wealth? Perhaps it's time to commit the sacrilege of questioning sacred tenets of the free market religion?

 

[Zstream]

That's why it is better to travel to India to get treatment. It may be illegal to purchase the medicine in India and have it shipped here for $300 (+ S&H) but it is not illegal to be a patient there.

Our system is hopelessly broken. It is literally only designed to kill you. AKA eugenics. Another piece of evidence is revealed: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25655639



Yes, statins are designed to KILL you, not help you. And look how many frickin morons take statins... and then die of heart attacks. My god this has been going on for years and neither these victims, nor their supposed loved ones, ever question the System that brings them to this end. They just shut up, drink their fluoride, and vote for the next Obaaaama.

So let me understand what you're saying. Statins kill people but high cholesterol doesn't? So dying of a heart attack at the age of 50 naturally vs 60 or 70 with statins is a bad thing?

 

[CADsortaGUY]

I don't think we'd be talking about this right now if it was only 500%....

Oh yeah, that little thing about purchasing politicians to make it illegal to import the same drugs from other countries for cheaper so that they can continue charging us insane prices. Kinda takes the competition part out of the free market part that you are trying to argue...

lol...

so where is the cutoff? 600% 1000%???

I think you are missing something in the rush to condemn the "free market part". You stumbled over it but only acknowledged it in passing. The problem that is...

 

[Linux23]

While technically illegal to import the drug I know a few people that do import their drugs from India. Whenever they get caught in customs the only thing that happens is they get a letter from customs (he called it a love letter) and the company reships his meds sometimes for free and sometimes for 1/2 the original price. One guy says he even orders valium, which is a scheduled drug, with the same results including just getting a letter if customs catches it. So as far as I know from anecdotal stories there aren't really any consequences to ordering RXs from India.

Er, um, what is the name of said company? For research purposes.

 

[Newell Steamer]

Ok, so why is it ok for me to make 500% plus but not someone else who provides something others want/need?

Starting to see where this little exercise is going???

Want and need are two different things.

No one needs your overpriced piece of crap. Someone may want your overpriced piece of crap. But, they certainly don't need.

 

[Newell Steamer]

Honest question: I'm not a doctor etc, but there do appear to be alternatives. According to your article these drugs only appeared in Dec 2013.

The previous drugs, based on Ribavirin, appear to be far less expensive than the new one.

My question: Why not just take the less expensive alternative that people have been using for years and years?

Fern

It looks like Ribavirin treatment is brutal, when compared to these new drugs; http://www.healthline.com/health-news/harvoni-takes-sting-out-of-hepatitis-c-treatment-102614

 

[CADsortaGUY]

Want and need are two different things.

No one needs your overpriced piece of crap. Someone may want your overpriced piece of crap. But, they certainly don't need.

Hmmm... but you don't know what my item is. Maybe you do need it, just like you may "need" medication.

 

[Newell Steamer]

Hmmm... but you don't know what my item is. Maybe you do need it, just like you may "need" medication.

Oh, now I get it; you are a raging idiot. Sorry, I honestly thought you "needed" wanted to hold a serious conversation.

Don't worry, aside from the known crazies, I generally don't bother with asshats like you on these forums more than once or twice.

Ta.

 

[Fern]

That's why it is better to travel to India to get treatment. It may be illegal to purchase the medicine in India and have it shipped here for $300 (+ S&H) but it is not illegal to be a patient there.

Our system is hopelessly broken. It is literally only designed to kill you. AKA eugenics. Another piece of evidence is revealed: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25655639



Yes, statins are designed to KILL you, not help you. And look how many frickin morons take statins... and then die of heart attacks. My god this has been going on for years and neither these victims, nor their supposed loved ones, ever question the System that brings them to this end. They just shut up, drink their fluoride, and vote for the next Obaaaama.

Interesting link. Tx

Fern

 

[uclaLabrat]

Interesting link. Tx

Fern

Nah, it's cool, I only took some time to dispel some of the BS in here but you respond to the fruitcake post.

Totally legit.

 

[CADsortaGUY]

Oh, now I get it; you are a raging idiot. Sorry, I honestly thought you "needed" wanted to hold a serious conversation.

Don't worry, aside from the known crazies, I generally don't bother with asshats like you on these forums more than once or twice.

Ta.

Ah so since you heard something you don't like, you run away? really? "need" is relative but really the point you are missing is GOVERNMENT intervention is what is causing this type of thing to happen. Sheesh, I though you would have figured it out(was trying to help you) but stubborn is as stubborn does...

 

[senseamp]

Company, Gilead, and the drug is in the news:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...illions-in-u-s-taxes-on-its-1-000-a-pill-drug

They are booking their profits abroad, even on US sales, to avoid US taxes. But do they want US taxpayers to pay for their drug through Medicaid and Medicare? You betcha.
Kudos to India for doing the generic version.

 

[Newell Steamer]

Company, Gilead, and the drug is in the news:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...illions-in-u-s-taxes-on-its-1-000-a-pill-drug

They are booking their profits abroad, even on US sales, to avoid US taxes. But do they want US taxpayers to pay for their drug through Medicaid and Medicare? You betcha.
Kudos to India for doing the generic version.

The solution is simple - cut Medicaid & Medicare.

DUH.

And, if the deathly ill people really want to live, they'll just get a better paying job to help them pay for the $94K.

See how easy all of this is?

 

[nickqt]

The solution is simple - cut Medicaid & Medicare.

DUH.

And, if the deathly ill people really want to live, they'll just get a better paying job to help them pay for the $94K.

See how easy all of this is?

I just want big gub'mint to keep its grimy hands off my Medicare.

 

[MagickMan]

How much did it cost to develop? How many of you think R&D is cheap? Idiots.

 

[MagickMan]

In other words, perhaps it's not such a good thing for the top 1% or 5% to own an inordinately large percentage of the nation's wealth? Perhaps it's time to commit the sacrilege of questioning sacred tenets of the free market religion?

It certainly won't happen if dweebs, like you, do nothing but sit at your keyboards and whine, waiting for someone else to do something about it. You know, I'd have a lot respect for the progressive movement if you guys acted upon your convictions and actually did something, anything, rather than just complain. :\

 

[Strk]

How much did it cost to develop? How many of you think R&D is cheap? Idiots.

Read the articles about it. It cost very little develop (I guess that is a relative statement). It cost a lot to buy the company that developed it.

 

[MagickMan]

Then they have costs to recoup, right? Just handing it out like candy won't do that.

 

[senseamp]

They are looking out for their own financial interest, no doubt. So should American taxpayers whose tax dollars are paying to buy this drug from this company that does everything to avoid paying its share of taxes in America, even on American profits. And so should the patients who can get this drug for fraction of the cost in India. Screw Gilead.