[Ip-health] Fwd: Info: Prescriptions and the pricing of generic meds...

[George M. Carter]

Once generics are available, competition should drive prices down...unless
there is price fixing and collusion among pharmacists and pharmacies.

Let alone the type of scandals that brought the FTC down on drug companies
for getting doctors to get Medicaid coverage for bogus
giveaways...double-dipping.

And then Bush gets $4 million yesterday here in NYC.

Sometimes, I think this species is too corrupt, evil and depraved to
continue existing. But I know too many marvelous souls to give up the fight
against this kind of abject evil that preys upon the most vulnerable.

And there are many good ones in governments, pharmaceutical companies,
pharmacies, physicians, patients. Their voices must gain more strength and
energy to overcome the despicable hypocrisy and corruption that destroys
the integrity of the system--and murders our friends.
George M. Carter


>Date:         Mon, 23 Jun 2003 22:14:58 -0700
>Sender:       SJU Hepatitis Support Group List HEPV-L
>               <HEPV-L@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU>
>From:         Lynn Taylor <lynntaylor3@ATTBI.COM>
>Subject:      Info: Prescriptions and the pricing of generic meds...
>To:           HEPV-L@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
>
>FORWARDING AT THE REQUEST OF A RELATIVE DEALING WITH CANCER...
>
>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 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
>it's 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.
>
>I am asking each of you to please help me by copying this letter, and
>pasting it into your own email, and send it to everyone you know with
>an email address.