by Gabriel Levitt, Vice President, PharmacyChecker.com and Sam Werbalowsky, Pharmacychecker.com | Jun 6, 2014 | Drug Importation, Drug Prices, Generic drugs
Americans who take Celebrex to fight arthritis may be pleased to know that a generic version has been approved by the FDA. The New York Times’ coverage reports, in a somewhat predictive fashion, that generic drugs “can cost 30 to 80 percent less than the branded products.” While that’s true, don’t expect generic Celebrex to be so cheap. What’s most likely is that its price will initially be around 80%, and then creep downwards.
Millions of Americans have seen this pricing trend over the past few years, as many popular medications have recently gone generic. A patent’s expiry does not necessarily mean cheaper drugs, at least immediately. That’s because the FDA grants marketing exclusivity for a generic to a single drug company for six months, so only two drug companies – the brand name manufacturer and the first generic manufacturer – are competing. As more drug companies enter the market the price will eventually cost a fraction of the brand name counterpart. But that first generic to market will usually only be about 20% cheaper than the brand.
When atorvastatin (generic Lipitor) first came out you could actually save a lot of money by purchasing the brand from an international online pharmacy instead of the generic from a U.S. pharmacy. Now, with many companies manufacturing atorvastatin, generic Lipitor in the U.S. can be found for about $15 per month if you use a discount card. International online pharmacies that once had a leg up on U.S. pharmacies lose big once competition drives U.S. generic drug prices down.
A perfect example is the popular antidepressant Cymbalta. Currently, the cash price of a 90 day supply of duloxetine (generic Cymbalta, 60 mg) is around $250 – and that’s after using a discount card at the pharmacy. A 90 day supply of brand name Cymbalta is only $90 when ordered from an international online pharmacy – a 64% discount!
We expect this pricing pattern for Abilify, Gleevec, Crestor, and many other drugs coming off patent down the pipeline. In the initial phase of a new generic’s release, the brand version from an international online pharmacy will probably be much cheaper, but eventually your neighborhood pharmacy will be your best bet. So if you take Celebrex expect to celebrate a low cost U.S. generic in early 2015!
Tagged with: Atorvastatin, Celebrex, Cymbalta, Patent Cliff
by Gabriel Levitt, Vice President, PharmacyChecker.com and Sam Werbalowsky, Pharmacychecker.com | May 29, 2014 | Advocacy, Online Pharmacies, Rogue Online Pharmacies
Each year, FDA participates in Pangea, a global operation that identifies and shuts down rogue Internet pharmacies, seizes allegedly dangerous medication, and arrests those responsible. We like that Pangea takes actions against rogue online pharmacies that threaten the public health. However, media stories about Pangea can frighten the American public away from safe online sources of affordable prescription medication because they often assert that foreign online pharmacies are all dangerous, which is absurd.
Thankfully, Dan Mangan of CNBC News reminded Americans last week that there are safe international online pharmacies. His article, “Patients cross borders for online deals on medication” explains that PharmacyChecker.com was created to help consumers avoid fake online pharmacies and have peace of mind when shopping for medication internationally. Lee Graczyk, head of RxRights.org, let them know why this is so important: “For some folks, this is the most viable way for them to fill their prescription at a price they can afford.”
The article points out that despite Federal restrictions, Americans purchase medication from outside the United States for personal use. Though the FDA does advise against personal drug importation (wrongly in our opinion), its enforcement is focused on large scale drug importation of medication by doctors, providers, or wholesalers, not individuals. In fact, FDA has never prosecuted anyone for importing medication for personal use. The article also brings up Maine’s recent law that removed state restrictions on personal drug importation. A similar bill was introduced in the South Carolina legislature.
Residents of these states want to facilitate drug importation to help people like Bill. As Mr. Mangan reports, Bill, a resident of New York City, was prescribed Copaxone for macular degeneration. Because Copaxone is not FDA-approved for that condition, Medicare didn’t cover it, leaving him with a ridiculously high out-of-pocket cost. At the suggestion of his doctor, Bill used a Canadian pharmacy. Instead of paying about $5,000 for a 28-day supply, he paid $1,200.
We’re happy with Mr. Mangan’s reporting, as coverage of crackdowns against dangerous pharmacy websites should include balanced information. His coverage included information collected from both supporters for and against personal drug importation and international online pharmacies, and he should be applauded for doing so.
Tagged with: CNBC, FDA, Operation Pangea
by Gabriel Levitt, Vice President, PharmacyChecker.com and Sam Werbalowsky, Pharmacychecker.com | May 16, 2014 | Advocacy, Drug Prices
AIDS prevention may be revolutionized if healthcare providers start to write more prescriptions for Truvada as a preventative measure for people at high risk for contracting HIV. As reported in the The New York Times, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is pushing for expanded use of Truvada as a prophylactic to prevent new HIV cases. To date, it has been primarily used to treat people who have already contracted HIV. If this recommendation is adopted, the number of prescriptions written for Truvada could increase from less than 10,000 per year to 500,000 per year, hopefully lowering the rate of new HIV infections, which has remained steady at 50,000 per year over the past decade.
But what if patients can’t access Truvada because of its cost? After all, a drug doesn’t work if a patient can’t afford to take it. The drug has a monthly cash price of about $1,500 at local U.S. pharmacies. Fortunately, Truvada is usually covered by insurance and Gilead offers an assistance program that covers the first $200 of a co-pay. They also have a program that covers the full cost of the drug for eligible uninsured or underinsured patients. Eligibility is not guaranteed to all!
Even if you’re insured and prescribed Truvada, the high cost might mean difficulties when it comes time to fill the prescription. Many pharmacy benefit formularies put the drug in tier 2 or 3, which means high co-pays. Other formularies place Truvada on a list of drugs that require pre-certification. In that case, the drug might not even be covered at all!
According to FiercePharma, dramatic increases in the number of prescriptions written for Truvada (and therefore requests for pharmacy benefit reimbursements) could increase co-pays and also curtail assistance programs. If that happens, patients may find themselves having to fork over a lot of cash for higher copays, deductibles or co-insurance. Some may very well end up stuck with a $1,500 per month bill.
For these patients, or anyone else who falls through the cracks, international online pharmacies may be an option. Truvada – the brand – is available for about $543.00 internationally; the generic – emtricitabine/tenofovir – not yet available in U.S. pharmacies, is $224.00. This could provide a lifeline for Americans who are prescribed Truvada in the coming years.
Tagged with: AIDS, CDC, Gilead Sciences, HIV, Truvada
