Drug companies' greed puts strain on Americans

Why do medications developed long ago have sky-high price today? An organization called the People's Pharmacy suggests that you save 30 percent to 50 percent on drugs by buying them from a Canadian online pharmacy. Chances are the drugs were manufactured in the U.S., shipped to Canada, stored, dispensed and shipped back across the border. In spite of all that handling, you save enormously.

The same organization claims to have tracked drug prices for almost 30 years, with astounding results. One hundred Valium pills, 5 milligrams, $8.99 in 1975 and $181.89 in 2004, and it's a drug that has been around since 1963. There can be no doubt that the company that manufactures Valium recovered its research expense long, long ago, has made millions from it, and increases the price substantially every year even so. In that period of time, Coumadin went from $9.40 to $129.69, and Premarin went from $6.90 to $134.29. Most of the popular drugs have similar histories.

The drug companies say they need high prices to cover research and development, but the industry spends more than twice as much on marketing, promotion and administration. And profits soar. You and I are partly to blame. Ads sucker us into asking our doctors for expensive, newer drugs like Nexium for our acid indigestion instead of using less expensive, older drugs like Prilosec.

Some of us feel the doctor has not done his job unless he gives us a prescription, rather than suggesting a less expensive, over-the-counter remedy. Some of us want our doctor to prescribe medicine that is easy to take rather than prescribe exercise and a healthy diet, which may not be easy to take.

Go to any doctor's office and drug representatives will be there. Notice that they never wait long. Chances are, they will see the doctor before you do, even though you have been waiting a long time. They "educate" the doctor about the new expensive drugs they are promoting, and give him samples to give his patients at the time when he also gives them a prescription for that drug. Chances are the doctor has no clue that the medicine is obscenely expensive.

Which means that we should probably discuss expense with our doctor. We should encourage our doctor to prescribe less expensive drugs that have worked well in the past. We should take his prescription and shop around locally. We should consider ordering our drugs by mail, maybe even from Canada.

President Bush pushed a drug benefit through Congress. But it is only for the poorest people on Medicare and Medicaid and does nothing about the obscene cost of the drugs that these poor people and the rest of us buy. Canada and many other countries control the price of drugs, yet our drug companies supply them and presumably make a profit, though a smaller one.

We went through price control during World War II. Maybe there is a way to get the drug companies to be less greedy. Why couldn't Medicare and Medicaid, insurance companies, and HMOs with their enormous purchasing power make a list of drugs that they approve? Drugs that are unreasonably priced would not get on the list. The drug companies would toe the line or else. Canada has done this very successfully, and that is why their drug prices are so much lower than ours.

There are people in the country who have to choose between drugs and food. In our land of plenty, that is ridiculous. The greed of drug companies should be dealt with harshly. The time is now.

What's the law?

While it's legal in Canada for pharmacies to mail Americans drugs, after having been faxed or mailed their physician's prescriptions, it's illegal in the United States, though the laws are generally not enforced.

Source: RefillPill.com Editors' Choice