[Pharm-policy] Prices of Glucphage (Metformin hydrochlor) in US and UK

[James Love]

Could someone check on the UK and other non-US prices for this drug?  

Based upon the email below, and drugstore.com, I have these prices:

Price of Glucphage in USA:
500mg x 90 = $59.60

Price per pill in USA: 	  66 cents per pill

Price per pill in UK:	2 cents per pill

------------------------
Subject: Re: [Pharm-policy] Ralph Nader questions Peter Dolan (BMS
chair) patriotism for high US drug prices
       Date:  Fri, 22 Jun 2001 17:19:06 +0100
      From:  "Bruce Beale" <brucebeale@btinternet.com>
        To:   "James Love" <love@cptech.org>
            1
Dear Mr Nader,

Re. Bristol-Myers Squibb

I run a web site for people with diabetes and get inundated with e-mails
from US citizens who desperately need financial assistance in purchasing
drugs. I get more of these from the US than from any other country in
the world perhaps because the US use English.

Bristol-Myers Squibb sells as Glucophage a drug which is sold as a
generic very cheaply world wide as Metformin hydrochlor.

In the UK it is possible to purchase 500 x 500mg tablets for seven
pounds fifty pence from a pharmacist. This means that the manufacturer,
wholesaler and pharmacist are making a reasonable profit. In the US the
cost is very much greater and must represent a terrible rip off.

Bruce Beale

----- Original Message -----
From: "James Love" <love@cptech.org>
To: "pharm-policy" <pharm-policy@venice.essential.org>; "IP-Health list"
<ip-health@venice.essential.org>
Sent: Friday, June 22, 2001 6:23 PM
Subject: [Pharm-policy] Ralph Nader questions Peter Dolan (BMS chair)
patriotism for high US drug prices


> Ralph Nader
> P.O. Box 19312
> Washington, DC 20036
>
> James Love
> P.O. Box 19367
> Washington, DC 20036
>
>
> June 22, 2001
>
> Peter Dolan, President And CEO
> Bristol-Myers Squibb
> 345 Park Ave
> New York, NY 10154
>  (fax)212-546-4020
>
> Dear Mr. Dolan:
>
> I am writing to ask that Bristol-Myers Squibb explain to the American
> public why it charges US consumers higher prices for is products that it
> obtains in Australia, Canada, France, Italy, New Zealand, the United
> Kingdom, and other foreign markets.   As is well known in your industry,
> BMS benefits richly from a plethora of US programs, including for
> example the US tax credits for R&D, the orphan drug tax credit, the US
> tax credit for manufacturing products in Puerto Rico, subsidized loans
> from the US Import-Export bank, the pediatric R&D patent extension, and
> a variety of R&D non-patent regular exclusivity provisions.
>
> BMS has also benefited more than most from the massive R&D support
> funded through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other federal
> agencies.  BMS products in the cancer and HIV area have benefited
> enormously from federally funding of R&D, including such products as
> Hydroxyurea, Bleomycin, Lomustine, Carmustine, Cisplatin, Cisplatin
> VP-16, Ifosfamide, Carboplatin, VM-26, Taxol, DDI and D4T.   As you
> know, the US government generally is not compensated for subsidizing the
> costs of clinical trials on these drugs, and does not seek high
> royalties for licenses of government owned patents.  For example, the
> National Cancer Institute received no royalties from its 1990 CRADA for
> the commercialization of Taxol, a drug that has generated billions in
> dollars in revenues for BMS.
>
> Despite the generosity and sacrifices of the US taxpayers, BMS, a
> corporation charted in the U.S., apparently takes the attitude that it
> can charge the highest prices in the world here, in the very country
> where you and your executives live, and where US workers are struggling
> to obtain health care and high health care costs make our country less
> competitive in the global economy.  How can you reconcile this policy
> with your patriotism and loyalty to your fellow citizens?
>
> We look forward to your considered response.
>
>
> Sincerely,
>
>
>
> Ralph Nader
> P.O. Box 19312
> Washington, DC 20036
>
>
>
> James Love
> P.O. Box 19367
> Washington, DC 20036
> _______________________________________________
> Pharm-policy mailing list
> Pharm-policy@lists.essential.org
> http://lists.essential.org/mailman/listinfo/pharm-policy
>



-- 
James Love
Consumer Project on Technology
P.O. Box 19367, Washington, DC 20036
http://www.cptech.org, mailto:love@cptech.org
voice: 1.202.387.8030 fax 1.202.234.5176 mobile 1.202.361.3040