Drug Prices Up as Much as 1,000 Percent

re: Drug Prices Up as Much as 1,000 Percent

Islander — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 19:37:17 GMT

Several factors are at work here to impact pricing. One is that sales have fallen off, presumably because under current economic conditions, many people can no longer afford their prescription drugs (so to address this problem, obviously, we raise prices, right?) The other is that some drugs critical to keeping that bottom line inflated are about to go off patent: Bristol-Myers Squibb's Plavix, Eli Lilly's Zyprexa, and Pfizer's $12 billion-a-year Lipitor, all are set to expire in 2011. No wonder drug companies are scrambling to merge. If current trends continue, they will all be in the ICU together!

re: Drug Prices Up as Much as 1,000 Percent

querinius — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 16:02:45 GMT

If you are interested in knowing some of the expenditures of major drug companies, all you need to do is go on line and google company annual reports. You can get them by signing up to a site that provides them to you without charge. These reports are in the public domain. For example, Pfizer states in their annual report of 2008 that "$745 million will be sufficient to resolve all known U.S. personal injury claims, including those not being settled at this time". They also report that "Advertising expenses totaled approximately $2.6 billion in 2008, $2.7 billion in 2007 and $2.6 billion in 2006". In their consolidated statement of income they report total revenues 48,29 billion dollars, and net income of 8.1 billion dollars.

re: Drug Prices Up as Much as 1,000 Percent

rfontanes — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 21:57:08 GMT

Jane White has a point about malpractice lawsuits adding to the price of drugs. If you thing about it the price should be much higher is 100 people die every day from Iatrogenic causes

re: Drug Prices Up as Much as 1,000 Percent

curious7 — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 21:27:40 GMT

With or without Government interference, drug prices are at a point where BIG PHARMA wants them. Regular medical care, is nothing but a money mill. Here in the Mid West there is a medical TV show and today's guest was Dr. Russell Blaylock, and one of the discussions is the misinformation given to patients who are under going cancer treatments. No anti-oxidants, no juicing, no raw foods, etc. These were the orders of some Doctors to their cancer patients. Dr. Blaylock explained the wrong headedness of this approach. Instead these misinformed Doctors were telling their patient to rely only on the chemo, and or radiation.

The magic of medication. Wow. We do not get headaches because we have a lack of aspirin in our system, rather a lack of one or some of the essentials of life. You know exercise, sunshine, fresh air, nutrition, etc. So man invented medicine, not for the good of mankind, but for the love of money, and BIG PHARMA has our Government wrapped around their finger, with the lure of money, the lube that makes this machine go.

re: Drug Prices Up as Much as 1,000 Percent

querinius — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 13:33:47 GMT

Profits are maintained in many companies, but others are starting to feel the pinch. Many layoffs, companies buying out companies, future less certain for companies too

re: Drug Prices Up as Much as 1,000 Percent

dr jimni — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 12:04:48 GMT

So, let the pharmaceutical companies raise their prices. I certainly don't care because, at the the age of 65, I can honestly say I havn't taken a drug, not even an aspirin, in over 35 years. Pharmaceutical drugs are not the answer to health problems. Oftentimes, THEY ARE THE PROBLEM. If anyone is stupid enough to take them, then perhaps they need to pay more. Maybe that will help to change their mind about how they treat their bodies.

re: Drug Prices Up as Much as 1,000 Percent

Biggs — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 12:03:44 GMT

There is a way to bring those prices down, as Doc Mercola says "take charge of your own health". I fully agree with this. The entire medical system needs to be revamped. As long as corrupt greedy money grubbing corporations rule, the people will be held hostage. Taking charge of your own health means eating good stuff and avoiding bad stuff which includes processed foods, vegatable oils of any kind, margarines, shortenings, processed meats, overcooked/burned animal fat, sugar, artificial sweeteners, and HFCS just to name a few. Now if you are not supplementing your diet with all the essential nutrients be prepared to come down with multiple deficiencies ie diseases because essential means your body cannot manufacture them. Vitamins, minerals, amino acids & fatty acids are needed and if you are wondering "huh?" get ready to visit the doctor and feed the pharma system. There are 90 total, not the misleading few you see on food labels. Go educate yourself, the internet is the greatest educator ever created, just be wary of corporate, pharma sponsored sites like webmd and others that urge you to talk to your doctor. Email me anytime. Biggard@youngevityonline.com.

re: Drug Prices Up as Much as 1,000 Percent

Manus — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 10:43:40 GMT

For Pete's sake!! Please realise that Governments, drug companies and doctors are totally responsible for the biochemical terrorism being waged against us! They are screwing up the free radicle overload with de-natured junk food and largely toxic medicines denying us the anti oxidents required to stay healthy.

Question: Why are most doctors silent as the grave on these issues??

Answer: Because they are the ones prescribing these killer drugs and vaccines on behalf of the greedy and amoral drug cartels.

Tell your doctor you don't want or need their chemicals. What you want and NEED is nutritious and chemical free food as Nature intended.

Dr. Mercola urges us to take control of our own health and not hand it over to those doctors who are the stooges of the drug companies.

Dr. Mercola...you are so very right!!

re: Drug Prices Up as Much as 1,000 Percent

Trinity Wellness — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 18:22:25 GMT

This seminal article by Paul Krugman, republished under fair use lisense says it all:

THE NEW YORK TIMES

May 6, 2005

A Serious Drug Problem

By PAUL KRUGMAN

There was a brief flurry of outrage when Congress passed the 2003 Medicare bill. The news media reported on the scandalous vote in the House of Representatives: Republican leaders violated parliamentary procedure, twisted arms and perhaps engaged in bribery to persuade skeptical lawmakers to change their votes in a session literally held in the dead of night.

Later, the media reported on another scandal: it turned out that the administration had deceived Congress about the bill's likely cost.

But the real scandal is what's in the legislation. It's an object lesson in how special interests hold America's health care system hostage.

The new Medicare law subsidizes private health plans, which have repeatedly failed to deliver promised cost savings. It creates an unnecessary layer of middlemen by requiring that the drug benefit be administered by private insurers. The biggest giveaway is to Big Pharma: the law specifically prohibits Medicare from using its purchasing power to negotiate lower drug prices.

Read the rest of the article at: www.ahrp.org/.../06.php

A key quote form the article, (Maybe this is why we pay too much):

"Billy Tauzin, who shepherded the drug bill through when he was a member of Congress, now heads the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the all-powerful industry lobby group, for an estimated $2 million a year. In his new job, he's making novel arguments against allowing Americans to buy cheaper drugs from Canada: Al Qaeda, he suggests, might use fake Viagra tablets to get anthrax into this country. "

re: Drug Prices Up as Much as 1,000 Percent

leppert — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:36:23 GMT

Jane White I disagree with you on all your points. It is because government got involved in health care that expenses have risen so dramatically over the last 40+ years. I remember the days before Medicare, Medicaid and defensive medicine, etc.

As to curing MRSA, there are already natural products that will take care of this infection. Essential oils for example and grapefruit seed extract. I'm sure there are other things too that are available without adverse effects.

What is needed is to break the stranglehold the drug companies have on congress, the media, the medical schools and society in general. For most of the drugs pushed there are natural alternatives without side effects.

re: Drug Prices Up as Much as 1,000 Percent

CATRYNA_203 — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:26:04 GMT

One of these days the Pharmaceutical companies and their greed are going to drive themselves out of business.

re: Drug Prices Up as Much as 1,000 Percent

Duparc — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:27:45 GMT

Here is some interesting information from Dr Rath's Web page which predicted this outcome:

"Revenge of the Status Quo

The victory of the movement of change in the US elections threatens the global status quo and its economic base – the oil and drug cartel. The sympathy and hope that unites people around the world with president-elect Obama poses an even bigger threat to them: a global domino effect encouraging peoples around the world to challenge these global interests.

In his last days of power, George Bush – together with Sarkozy, Merkel and other foreign cartel stakeholders – are trying to orchestrate through the International Monetary Fund (IMF) what amounts not just to a coup d’etat, but to a “global coup”. The exposure of this coup in this newspaper will render these plans void and help the movement of change to go forward.

Goals of Cartel’s “Global Coup”

The goals of this coup are as follows:

1.Define the IMF as the key instrument to economically control world affairs.

2.Decrease the US’s voting power at the IMF to deny the new administration the opportunity to “change the world.”

3.Establish the European Union (EU) as the cartel’s political IMF spearhead and France as its nuclear, military enforcer.

4.Use the new IMF power to arbitarily prolong the economic crisis in the US.

5.Implement a “scorched earth” strategy to punish voters, derail the new government and deter other nations.

These goals are pursued under the pretext of an economic crisis, advocacy for the developing world – and all before the Obama administration even takes office".

re: Drug Prices Up as Much as 1,000 Percent

JaneWhite — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:25:21 GMT

This post was deleted because it violated our Terms Of Use :
Abuse, harass, humiliate, deceive, threaten, impersonate, intimidate or engage in any other abusive behaviors with those who comment on Mercola.com.