Pharmaceutical Companies and Pricing of Drugs, Among Other Things

Recently, my doctor gave me a couple of samples of time-release Naprosin with an added ingredient to offset stomach upset.  Naprosin has been around for years and is used to treat pain from arthritis and similar conditions.  The drug my doctor prescribed is called Vumovo.

You may recall last week that the media was abuzz with the outrageous pricing of a drug called Daraprim. Its bold, new owner had raised the price from $13 to over $700 dollars a pill.  One of the articles regarding this story included a list of other drugs with a similar histories (but no outright media frenzy).

Yes, you guessed it.  At the bottom of the list was Vumovo.  This drug once retailed for $200/60 pills, until the pharmaceutical company decided to raise it to $1683/60 pills.  Had I not seen the article, I would have asked my doctor to order a prescription.  Of course I would have refused to pay for it at the counter and the pharmacy would be left to restock it.

When I mentioned this situation to a friend, she asked:  "Isn't it illegal?  And I said, no!"  Diabetes, pain meds, tuberculosis, cancer, and antipsychoic meds are but a few of the drugs/treatments that companies overprice.

At its new price, Daraprim would cost about $252,000 a year for 360 pills.  Vumovo, $10,098 for 360 pills. I know of at least one instance when a single Chemo treatment cost $100,000.  Pharmaceutical companies do these things because they can--get away with it.

I have since asked my physician for an alternative to Vumovo and she has provided it, being none-to-pleased with the drug company herself.  I now take two pills instead of one.  A ninety-day supply of both drugs is $20/180 pills.  Over a year that's $80.

What troubles me most is that this travesty of humanity is but one instance of the insanity of greed, and that we, the consumer, often feel no recourse to complain.  Not everyone can switch to another drug.  Not everyone can say "I just won't take it."  For many, the drug is an absolute necessity.  Diabetics, people with cancer, mental illness, and drug resistant TB for instance.

Over the years we humans have lost control of our very lives.  Lost control because we didn't see it happening until it was too late.

Government takes our hard earned money and spends it willy-nilly.  If we refuse to pay taxes in protest, the IRS comes after us.  It's not a pretty scene.  They don't let up and they have a LOT of power to say--freeze your assets or empty your bank account.

Those who attend big sports events are very familiar with "event parking".  Here, price gouging is raised to an art form.  Want to go to the game?  Pay the going rate. The defenders call it the result of "limited" parking. That's nonsense. The same amount of spaces exist event or no event.  It's just a way to make a bundle of money at the expense of the sports fan who needs a place to put his/her car.

Movie theaters have for eons overcharged on snacks and drinks.  We pay.  Our blood pressure may rise twenty points, but we pay.

Recently it cost a relative of mine $30 to have a taillight changed.

A few weeks ago the labor to cut and lay tile down and remove the old tile was quoted at $4,000.  This in a 1500 sq ft house, the area being tiled about 150 sq feet.

And last, but not least, I have gluten intolerance.  A couple of months ago I went out to breakfast and ordered gluten free toast.  When the bill came, the toast was $6/2 slices.

A loaf of gluten free bread is about $6.  It has about 14 slices of bread.  Three dollars times 14 slices equals $42.  Instead of a tip, I left a note protesting the cost.  Here the server got penalized.

I don't always stand up for my rights, but of late I've done more standing and less sitting on my hands.

The world in which we live (a common theme with me) is created by us, you and me.  While we have been hoodwinked by corporations and government, that doesn't mean we have to take it.

In a capitalist society the pocketbook talks.  Speak up, not by shouting or throwing things, or loosing your temper.  Speak boldly, succinctly and proudly, but speak, as much as you can and as often as you can.  Go to places that are fair to their customers and their employees.  Buy products that are fairly priced.  Ask for alternatives to price-gouging drugs whenever possible.  Just because your insurance may pick up the tab doesn't make it right.  Someone else will pay for it down the line.  Eventually your insurance rates will rise.

The cost of living is over the heads of millions.  The great Titanic sank because one too many watertight compartments split open.  America is the richest country in the world  China is next.  The latter is struggling to hold its economy together, but there may not be enough lifeboats, as with the Titanic.  The former is about 18 trillion of dollars in debt and about to raise its debt limit.   Who will pay it back?  Your grandchildren!

There are more part-time and poorly paid jobs in America than ever before and, overall, there are fewer jobs.  Job security it non-existent, even in government.  More than one state teeters on bankruptcy.

We are one watertight compartment from sinking.  If you don't believe me, look at congress and its inability to get anything done.

You and me, folks!  You and me.