To treat gouty arthritis, patients have been taking a drug called Colchicine for over 200 years. Apparently, it’s a very helpful drug, but it’s neither new or innovative, to say the least. It’s no longer under patent protection and is available as a generic medication. It’s supposed to be super cheap, right?
So why is the estimated cash price for Colchicine .6mg at Walgreens about $590 for 100 pills?! Even with a Colchicine discount coupon it’s $239.37 – about $2.40 per pill. Compare that with the lowest cost Colchicine sold at a PharmacyChecker-verified international online pharmacy, 41 cents per pill or $41 for 100 pills – about 90% less than the Walgreens retail price! And just to be clear that’s a Canadian pharmacy price.
You can compare Colchicine prices at local U.S. pharmacies and international online pharmacies on PharmacyChecekr.com.com.
Yes, this is an example of drug companies AND U.S. pharmacies having free reign to charge whatever they want. For brand drugs on patent that often leads to exceedingly high prices because the pharmaceutical company has a monopoly: there’s no competition. But for generic drugs there is supposed to be competition to bring down the price. What went wrong with Colchicine?
The drug is so old that it predated the FDA-approval system of 1962 through which a pharmaceutical company must prove a drug is safe and effective before coming to market. It was one of thousands of drugs sold in U.S. pharmacies that were not FDA-approved. Then in 2007, the FDA took regulatory action to remove these unapproved drugs from U.S. pharmacy shelves.
There were good reasons for FDA to do so. There were drugs that were being marketed and sold for use by toddlers, such carbinoxamine-containing drugs, that may have resulted in deaths. The bottom line is that the FDA told pharmaceutical companies they had to apply to the FDA to sell their drugs or get them off the market.
In the case of Colchicine, there were many competitors in the market prior to FDA’s initiative. In 2009, URL Pharma’s branded version Colcrys was approved by FDA and given exclusive rights to sell Colchicine in the U.S. for seven years, longer than the normal three years, because the application was also approved as an Orphan drug to treat familial Mediterranean fever. Can you believe it? A seven-year monopoly on a drug in use for over 200 years. The price went from a dime per pill to $5 per pill – a 5000% increase.
Seven years later, generic drug competition is permitted and yet the price is still outrageously high. In 2014, FDA approved a competitor brand called Mitigare but the company that bought URL Pharma, Takeda sued the FDA for breaking its marketing exclusivity! Takeda lost the case.
In a legal brief from the American College of Rheumatology supporting market entry of Mitigare it was argued that gout patients were not taking their medications because of cost or seeking foreign treatments. Foreign treatments?! Did they mean lower prices in Canada? I’m glad they got their meds.
As of today: Colcrys (brand) sells for $867 for 100 pills; Mitigare $755; U.S. generic $239.37; the Canadian generic, via an international online pharmacy: $41.
That’s why the U.S. price is a rip-off. Any questions?
What Pharmacy in Canada gives u you the real drugs like US most international Pharmacy do not give u the real thing how can trust that’s the real meds.
Hi Kathy – The online pharmacies in our program sell lawfully manufactured medications from licensed pharmacies. We know because we verify their dispensing sources. Our Vice President of Pharmacy Verification is interviewed in this Huffington Post article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/diane-archer/online-pharmacies_b_11321730.html.
How do you know that what you get in the US is the real deal?
I take a med that I purchase here in the states but it is manufactured in France…….
We are provided assurance by the FDA that the medications sold in U.S. pharmacies are lawfully-manufactured in accordance with FDA’s standards, whether made in the U.S., France, or India. The same holds true for FDA’s counterparts in other countries who assure that products sold in their countries are safe and effective. The FDA is not the only drug regulator in the world, but they are a good one.
Check with your doctor. I took my first shipment from Canada to my next rheumatology appointment for the doctor to look at. He said it was fine. When I need refills, they write out the prescription and mail it to me; then I scan it and upload to the Canadian pharmacy. This has worked fine for more than a year.
Why does it still cost so much and how can we do something about it?
How may I buy the Canadian Colchicine. I am newly diagnosed
with Gout, and I am outraged by the price. I cannot afford it. It is sad we have so many money hungry pharmaceutical companies out there!
Hi Linda –
You can compare Colchicine prices here: https://www.pharmacychecker.com/generic/colchicine-prices. Find an online pharmacy with Canada in the list of countries. Contact them and tell them you wish to buy Colchicine from a Canadian pharmacy.
I have used canadadrugs.com and have had no problems with their site, their deliveries, or their billing. FDA allows you to import up to a 90-day supply. You get the prescription from your doctor, scan it, and upload it to their site. The drugs come in the mail in a small envelope or box, and the charge shows up on your credit card.
Hi Steve –
Thanks for joining the conversation. To be more specific and transparent, the U.S. government generally does not stop individuals from importing medication for their own use (usually up to a three-month supply of non-controlled drugs), however, under most circumstances, it is technically prohibited. Also, according to the FDA, no one has ever been prosecuted for personal drug importation (importing small quantities of medication for personal use). For details, please see https://www.pharmacychecker.com/us-pharmacy-regulations.asp.
Gabe
Is Colchisine available OTC in Canada?
Generic colchicine is sold by pharmacists over the counter in Canada, although you must have a prescription if ordering through an online pharmacy listed on PharmacyChecker.com.
Anyone wanting to continue using colchicine should go to Mexico. Cheapest place in Mexico is Los Algodones, a small medical town next to Yuma, AZ. You will save enough to pay for the trip with hotel and food included. Colchicine in Mexico is sold in 1mg tabs and I buy in multiples of 90. Customs will not bother you if you do not carry narcotics or opioids. Seniors go to Los Algodones for medical treatment, mostly dental where it is much, much cheaper than the US and better care.
Hi Pete, what is the name of it in Mexico? Is it the same? I’m pretty close to algodones.
What is the generic of colchicine? Is it just as good? I was just prescribed for the first time for painful calcium deposits in my wrist. I have RA. My Rx at Walgreens is held up due to insurance issues. Of course with the first of the year I also have a large deductible
Colchicine is a generic medication. You can compare prices for Colchicine among verified online pharmacies here: https://www.pharmacychecker.com/colchicine/
I need Colchicine every day now or I will die a very slow and agonizing death. I find it absolutely criminal to hold patients at gunpoint, like this, for a life saving, natural substance that has been used for 3000 years, around the globe. The US pharma corporations are greedy and unethical at best these days. A sign of the times.
It is a lot of hassle to source pharmaceuticals out of the country. My medical Dr. has been great about it, however, time lost in their office for the management of my prescription alone is another way the Pharma companies are affecting this country adversely. Time is $$$.
Today the mainstream media posted an article about Senator Sanders speaking out, as an advocate for the citizens of this country, blasting Catalyst Pharmaceuticals for their pricing on a drug they formulate (which used to be inexpensive). There are other politicians who are on the warpath, trying to help patients afford their meds. Vote Wisely in any election. Talk to your reps and let’s turn this boat around.
I do not take Colchicine every day but rather when I feel a gout flare up beginning. I usually take 2 each 1mg tablet(s) the first day and then one tablet for 2-3 days.I buy mine in Mexico as I reside there. The price works out to $.04 /1 mg tablet. At the prices stated in the USA I can see why people in many cases have to choose between medication and food. The pharmacy business is a rip-off and Congress continues to support them for they contribute to their re-election chest. Further, most of the R&D costs are paid for by the US Gov.; not the pharmacy companies.
I go to the denti center in Tijuana because dental work is 1/3 the cost of that in the USA so while i was waiting for a crown to be made i walked over to one of the many drug stores to see about getting my prescription for Cholchicine. First place I went to had boxes of 1mg tablets 30 to a box for $3.50. I bought two boxes and never even had to show my prescription. I had been buying them through a canadian company paying $70.00 for 100 and thought that price was good. Mexico’s price beats the hell out of anywhere. If you live in Southern California and need this medication it would be worth the short drive to the San Yisidro border point and get them there. With the new border construction completed its a breeze getting in and out. I park on the california side and walk in because its quicker than driving and you really dont want to take your vehicle into Tijuana unless you want to risk getting hit. People drive like great danes down there.