Brand name prescription drug prices are sky rocketing. The silver lining for all of us patients is that generic drugs would become available at a much lower price. But now those prices are going up as well.
In the US, the government does not negotiate drug prices or mandate generic drug prices - which have been priced based on the cost of key ingredients - the smart way to do pricing instead of basing it on how much it is worth for the patients life (which is another blog post).
But now, a Senate panel is looking at generic prices and how much they have gone up in the past year. Hmmm..... I smell a rat.
Let me start by saying that I am a huge fan of generic drugs and most of my affordable prescriptions are generics. But my brand name prescriptions cost me anywhere from $35-$105/month. Ouch. And that's mail order prices. Which means I have to keep my chemo brain/fibro fog focus on refilling prescriptions before I run out.
I also am not a fan of too much government regulation. I do prefer when market forces run prices. While I am jealous of drug pricing overseas, I find it unfortunate that certain industries make their huge profits on the backs of American patients.
Now back to that rat that I smell.I suspect that something more is afoot than just market forces on the generic prices. Maybe some collusion somewhere. I don't know what that rat is but I am suspicious. Call me a concerned patient for now but I will keep digging around on this one.
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