Fwd: [S-A] [WiseWeeds] Stats on Drug Price Mark Ups- Unbelievable

[Guest guest]

" Misty L. Trepke "

Mon, 01 Mar 2004 13:32:52 -0000

[s-A] [WiseWeeds] Stats on Drug Price Mark Ups- Unbelievable

 

Anyone else feel like a walking cash machine in the eyes of Big

Pharma?

Misty L. Trepke

http://www..com

 

Read the whole article....the last info page is on costco....very

interesting.

 

(A) BRAND NAME OF DRUG

 

(B) CONSUMER PRICE 100 TABS

 

© COST OF GENERAL ACTIVE INGREDIENTS

 

(D) PERCENT MARKUP

 

(A) (B) © (D)

 

Celebrex 100 mg $130.27 $0.60 21,712%

 

Claritin 10 mg $215.17 $0.71 30,306%

 

Keflex 250 mg $157.39 $1.88 8,372%

 

Lipitor 20 mg $272.37 $5.80 4,696%

 

Norvasc 10 mg $188.29 $0.14 134,493%

 

Paxil 20 mg $220.27 $7.60 2,898%

 

Prevacid 30 mg $44.77 $1.01 34,136%

 

Prilosec 20 mg $360.97 $0.52 69,417%

 

Prozac 20 mg $247.47 $0.11 224,973%

 

Tenormin 50 mg $104.47 $0.13 80,362%

 

Vasotec 10 mg $102.37 $0.20 51,185%

 

Xanax 1mg $136.79 $0.024 569,958%

 

Zestril 20 mg $89.89 $3.20 2,809%

 

Zithromax 600mg $1,482.19 $18.78 7,892%

 

Zocor 40mg $350.27 $8.63 4,059%

 

Zoloft 50mg $206.87 $1.75 11,821%

 

***** Since the cost of prescription drugs is so outrageous, I

thought that everyone I knew should be made aware of this. Please

read the following and pass it on.

 

It pays to shop around. This helps to solve the mystery as to why

they can afford to put a Walgreen's on every orner..................

 

On Monday night, Steve Wilson, an investigative reporter for channel

7 News in Detroit, did a story on generic drug price gouging by

pharmacies. He found in his investigation, that some of these generic

drugs were marked up as much as 3,000% or more. Yes, that's not a

typo..... three thousand percent!

 

So often, we blame the drug companies for the high cost of drugs, and

usually rightfully so. But in this case, the fault clearly lies with

the pharmacies themselves. For example, if you had to buy a

prescription drug, and bought the name brand, you might pay $100 for

100 pills.

 

The pharmacist might tell you that if you get the generic equivalent,

they would only cost $80, making you think you are " saving " $20. What

the pharmacist is not telling you is that those 100 generic pills may

have only cost him $10!

 

At the end of the report, one of the anchors asked Mr. Wilson

whether or not there were any pharmacies that did not adhere to this

practice, and he said that Costco consistently charged little over

their cost for the generic drugs.

 

I went to the Costco site, where you can look up any drug, and get

its online price. It says that the in-store prices are consistent

with the online prices. I was appalled. Just to give you one example

from my own experience, I had to use the drug, Compazine, which

helps prevent nausea in chemo patients. I used the generic

equivalent, which cost $54.99 for 60 pills at CVS. I checked the

price at Costco, and I! could have bought 100 pills for $19.89. For

145 of my pain pills, I paid $72.57. I could have got 150 at Costco

for $28.08.I would like to mention, that although Costco is

a " membership " type store, you do NOT have to be a member to

buy prescriptions there, as it is a federally regulated substance.

You just tell them at the door that you wish to use the pharmacy,

and they will let you in.

 

I am asking each of you to please help me by copying this letter, and

pasting it into your own email, and send it to everyone you know

with an email address.

 

/

 

 

 

 

 

 

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