The government, which often funds the research for creating these drugs, could also produce these drugs for pennies on the dollar of the current costs.

Annabelle41415 said:

Although some drug companies are making good profits off of these drugs I can't help but thank them for the research and dedication that a lot of the workers go into making and testing these drugs.  You might be against profits, but the profits continue the research and I'll never be against that.  The USA has made significant strides in a lot of great drugs throughout the years so being glad that those drugs can help people should be a plus. 

Kim

Hi Kim, I was hoping someone would bring that up. I have a niece who works for a major pharmaceutical company who has come up with some breakthrough treatments with immunotherapy. It takes a lot of time and money to develop new treatments. Companies should be able to make some money from their investment.

I guess the question is ‘How much should they make?’. I don’t know the answer to that. What I find even more disturbing are the companies whose sole purpose is to buy smaller companies so they can charge more money for drugs that many people need like diabetes or HIV drugs.

mojogirl67 said:

Not Against Profit..Against Robbery

Your sense of gratitude shines thru in every response you post and I admire that. I practice gratitude in all aspects of my life. However, when I have family members, neighbors, and friends who have to make heart wrenching choices of paying their bills, buying groceries,  filling outrageous prescription costs, paying outrageous co-pays/ medical bills, I can not turn a blind eye or bury my head in the sand. It is just simply wrong and when you are fighting for your life, you are at the mercy of many crooked and "for profit only" entities. Just like any walk of life, you have the good peppered in with the bad.  The medical arena in reference to drugs, insurance and related care is out of control and there has to be more regulation but money and greed contol it from the highest levels. Precious human life should come first ahead of profits period but it doesn't. When the CEO of a company sits high on the hill in his billion dollar mansion looking out over the ocean, the last thing he'll think about will be  the little old lady with her sweater on who chose not to pay her heating bill so she could pay for her prescriptions. Those little old ladies have been my family members so I will continue to speak out about this and pray that love and compassion for human life will some day triumph over the all-mighty dollar.....M

When drugs pass their trademark protection and are in the public domain, but still costs thousands (or tens of thousands) of dollars per course (think capecitabine), it is hard to imagine there is not an anti-trust violation by the industry.  Government would be fully within its rights to step in and produce these drugs and there would be no loss of the incentive for the industry to research and market extraordinarily expensive protected drugs--but it would give consumers a break.  Unfortunately, in the US we live in a era where business is seen as always right. . .  to the detriment of the consumers.

so here’s my story. The chemo caused dry eye syndrome. Corneas were extremely irritated to the point of not seeing well. Went to the ophthalmologist and was prescribed Restasis. I called the pharmacy and found out that a 1 month supply would cost $559. I was shocked.  I know you have all seen the ads for it.

well I researched it and found that it is effective for relief of dry eye in about 14% of patients. Hardly worth the money! Turns out that the company invested about 150 million in advertising and they want to get back that investment. They are one of the drug companies that have been successful in keeping generics out for over 10 years.

i went back to the opthamologist and he asked how the restasis was working. I told him what I found and that I never got the prescription filled. he said well I agree with your decision. I was surprised at that but then He said that he was leaving the practice. Made me almost ask him why he ever prescribed it But I didn’t think about that until later. 

So not to sound too conspiracy-like but the doctors are in on the fraud! 

K

Annabelle41415 said:

Profit

Everyone's price for "profit" is different.  What mine is, isn't what your's is, nor my neighbors.  I'm not going to judge a company on their profit because what they bring in is what makes them a company.  Just like taxes, everyone's expectations are different.  I've never begrudged a company nor person from earning all they can but agree with Phil if a company buys out a drug company and their related drugs and then increases those drugs like Martin Shkreli who took an AIDs drug that was $13.50 and then charged $750 that's what I'm against.  A profit for a company should not be determined by any government. 

Kim

 

Drugmakers allegedly inflated prices over 1,000% and 44 states are now suing

Just a quick FYI for people.

Drugs are protectecd by patent, patent protection is limited in time..  Trademarks are a different type of intellctual property protection, and trademarks can last forever as of now.  Drugs can also be trademarked, but not that part that makes them what they are (the drug).  For example, Xeloda is a trademark for capecitabine.  Coumadin &  Jantoven for warfarin.  Etc.  Everyone is familiar with the concept when they get their presctiptions filled with "generics" where available.  Fun trivia - aspirin was trademark but due to certain things, it lost trademark protection.  Some other common things like these used to be trademarked.  

But the bottom is I agree that the costs for these things are outrageous, especially when patents expire.  There is an argument with respect to recoupment of investement in developing the drugs, etc. (still think costs are high, escpecially when you can get ex-U.S. at a lesser price), but when past the patent period and someone else jumps in, at that point it is manufacturing costs, including setting up the facilites to produce the items.  The costs would be seem to be less. I am a capiltalist.  But the accounting game with drug companies, and insurance companies, to justify some of the pricing is nuts.  I am not sure the government producing the drugs would be an improvement due to the issues goverment has with many things - just look at the VA or the reports of fraud/inefficiencies in Medicare/Medicaid - but they could try to stop the price gouging and/or perhaps take other actions to promote lower pricing.  Changing some accounting rules, extending patent protection in the event that a company if staying within reasonable margins (they do this with natural monopolies) etc.  And PLEASE ban drug commercials on television.