Comments on: Are You Or Someone You Know Paying $50,000 A Year For Drugs?

By: bilybob

bilybob — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:05:20 +0000

I have been taking Embrel since 2000 for Rheumatoid Arthritis. It retails for about 1200.00 a month. Luckily my ins company covers all but 50.00 of it.

Am I getting my moneys worth? Since 2001 I have had two total hip replacements, two total knee replacements and last month had my shoulder replaced.

By: PlugnPillai

PlugnPillai — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:31:59 +0000

My mom back in India was treated with Herceptin for her BC. When I went back to be with her, I saw these Genentech boxes with these vials in it, with each box (a single treatment – and you need 21 or so treatments) costing around 4200 USD. And that is what you pay even in India where the dollar brings in about 42 Rupees – or about 3 loaves of bread. So a month’s treament can buy about 1400 loaves of bread. In India! I am speaking loaves here to give you an understanding of the cost of living/salaries in India.

We would have had a hard time paying for it ourselves – but the insurance policy we had taken about 20 years ago for some paltry amount took care of it.

That is why generics are important.

By: bwedin

bwedin — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:48:05 +0000

Lots of info–please!!!

One of my medications costs me nearly $1,000 per month. Can someone out there tell me if individuals are subject to fines (or worse) for buying prescription medications from Canada or Mexico for well-documented chronic diseases? What other alternatives exist? Are there blogs that specifically deal with medication prices issues? I’m a senior on Medicare who’s going broke fast because of all the meds I’m on.

By: ralphbon

ralphbon — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:09:01 +0000

The FDA recently slapped the manufacturer of Latisse with a warning letter because its consumer web site did not adequately flag the risks of the drug.

I flipped when I first heard of Latisse, a repurposing of the glaucoma drug Lumigan. The labeling for Lumigan warns that it can permanently discolor the eyelids, darken the iris, as well as modify eyelash growth. They repackaged one of these side effects as an indication, along with a new way of applying the drug (for elevated intraocular pressure, it’s given as drops; Latisse is applied gingerly just along the edge of the eyelid).

The condition Latisse treats is “hypotrichosis,” or inadequate eyelashes. For funsies, I did a recent Medline search, cross-referencing hypotrichosis with mortality. It can be a side effect of certain life-threatening conditions, but I think it’s safe to say that no Latisse-deprived patient will be starring in any heart-rending HCAN commercials about cruel insurance companies depriving them of critical lash enhancement.

By: mack

mack — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:54:25 +0000

Bipartisan legislation you can beleive in…

By: ralphbon

ralphbon — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:48:12 +0000

There's a difference between patent protection and marketing exclusivity, two related but distinct protections. The Senate HELP committee bill granted 12 years of marketing exclusivity to new biologics, regardless of patent status. They did this despite the fact that the Federal Trade Commission had recently ruled that patent protection alone constituted sufficient protection for the developers of biologics. For more, see the post I wrote back in July.

By: Frugalchariot

Frugalchariot — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:41:25 +0000

Amen. I agree absolutely.

By: lcdrrek

lcdrrek — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:36:30 +0000

These are the ones that really burn me up.

Oracea which is doxycycline was created for Rosacea. Oracea cost is around $10.00 per pill. Doxycycline generic is around $0.45 per pill.

Latisse which helps grow lashes. $120.00 for a 30 day supply. Stop using it and lashes return to pretreatment state. I know I am male but can’t figure out why one needs to spend that kind of money on eyelashes.

Don’t get me started on medication for dry eyes and restless leg syndrome. Not to minimize these issues but seems like these syndromes were “discovered” in order to sell these medications.

By: TalkingStick

TalkingStick — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:22:08 +0000

The complexities of the ways the pharmaceutical industry has changed the practice of medicine mostly for the worst cannot be described on a blog. The trigger has already come down.. They should be nationalized and patents rescinded. .

By: ThingsComeUndone

ThingsComeUndone — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:16:46 +0000

Hi demi