by Gabriel Levitt, President, PharmacyChecker.com and Prescription Justice | Nov 4, 2016 | Advocacy, Government
Last month it was widely reported that big pharmaceutical companies were kicking in a fresh $300 million for myriad government, media, and “advocacy” efforts to keep drug prices high. The Pharmaceutical Researchers and Manufacturers of America, also known as Big Pharma, has asked its members, such as Eli Lilly, Merck and Pfizer to kick in $100 million more this next year because they know we’re on offense and they’re on defense. Part of their efforts will almost certainly include continuing to chip away at your ability to buy lower cost medication from other countries.
But you can fight back by donating to RxRights. For almost six years, RxRights has advocated on behalf of American consumers who import medication for personal use, many who do so through online pharmacies. Through advocacy, education and rallying Americans, RxRights is a bright light in our movement to end the stranglehold that big pharma has on our government!
RxRights is dependent on real people, everyday Americans who care about their families and friends who can’t afford medications. I know, many of you are looking for prescription savings already and it’s hard to part with your money. For those of you who are seriously cash strapped and struggling to afford your meds, keep your money and make sure you have the treatments you need to stay healthy. But like other Americans, if you’ve benefited financially from lower drug prices in other countries and have some bucks to spare then GIVE! You’ll be protecting your own financial interests and doing the right thing for others who absolutely need the lower prices or won’t get the medications they need to live health lives.
Tagged with: donate, RxRights
by Gabriel Levitt, President, PharmacyChecker.com and Prescription Justice | Oct 27, 2016 | Advocacy, Drug Importation, Government, Personal Drug Importation, Policy, Politics
Earlier this month 33 members of Congress sent a letter to President Obama asking him to use executive authority to tackle the crisis of high drug prices in the U.S. The gist of the letter is that Congress is paralyzed (surprise surprise) to act. So, while we wait, and wait, and wait for Congress — the urgency of high drug prices calls for executive action.
One of the steps recommended is to expressly permit Americans to import lower cost medications for personal use. Well, Americans already do that and while its technically illegal, people aren’t prosecuted for doing so, and thus it’s generally permitted. But if it was expressly permitted it would remove the stigma of illegality, embolden many more consumers to import lower cost medication, deflate and defang the scare tactics of the pharmaceutical industry about importation and online pharmacies, and would instill more price competition into the U.S. market to bring down prices at local pharmacies.
A few questions. Don’t we need to pass a new law to “legalize” importation? Why do I choose to bold the phrase expressly permit? Would it be legal or expressly permitted? Maybe both? (more…)
Tagged with: bayh-dole, Congressional progressive caucus, march in rights, pay for delay
by PharmacyChecker.com | Oct 21, 2016 | Drug Prices, PharmacyChecker Answers
Jublia (efinaconazole topical solution 10%) was approved for use in treating toenail fungal infections in 2014. The company which distributes it in the U.S., Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, has a history of charging astronomical prices for its drugs and the situation is no different for Jublia. A 4 ml bottle (enough to treat one toe daily for a month) has a cash price of about $649, and even with easily available discounts, it costs about $550. It will likely be many years before a less expensive generic version is available in the U.S.
So how can you get Jublia at an even lower price? First, Valeant offers steep discounts for those first trying Jublia. As of the time of this writing (10/10/15), if you have insurance which covers Jublia, Valeant will reduce your co-pay for either the 4 ml or 8 ml bottles to just $25, or to $75 if the drug is not covered by your drug plan. If you have no insurance, the discounted price is $125 for the 4 ml bottle, or $200 for the 8 ml bottle. You can get 11 refills at this price (but just one refill if your drug plan does not cover Jublia).
Jublia is sold in other countries at much lower prices than in the U.S. In fact, in Canada, Valeant Pharmaceuticals distributes Jublia at prices far lower than those in the U.S. Many Americans get their prescription medications from outside the U.S. to save money and, although this is not technically legal, individuals are not prosecuted for importing small quantities of medication for personal use. Outside the U.S., Jublia is sold in a larger quantity – 6 ml and 12 ml bottles. Currently, you can get a 6 ml bottle for as little as $95 (plus about $10 shipping) from any of any of several PharmacyChecker.com verified international pharmacies which dispense the medication from licensed pharmacies. This international online price is the equivalent of getting 4 ml for about $67 – more than an 80% discount off the standard U.S. price.
Tagged with: jublia, Valeant
by Gabriel Levitt, President, PharmacyChecker.com and Prescription Justice | Oct 15, 2016 | Medicare Drug Plans
Pick a plan man!
We have a sister website called MedicareDrugPlans.com, where you can find basic information about, well, Medicare drug plans, and read reviews of the plans written by people who have used them, and rate your own plan if you have one. We’ve updated our data to include the plans that will be available in 2017.
Why? It’s that time again to pick a Medicare Part D plan. Doors opened today, October 15, and will close on December 7. If you’re one of 57 million Americans, most of them over 65, who are enrolled in Medicare then you either have a plan or are newly eligible for one. There are many plans (although fewer than there once were) and picking one can be highly aggravating. While online pharmacies, drug prices, and personal drug importation are PharmacyChecker.com’s forte, each year since we started PharmacyCheckerBlog, I’ve tried to write something educational, practical, even funny, about the plans and how to pick one at enrollment time. This year I went nuts. Still, if you read through this post carefully, it will teach you about Part D Medicare drug plans: the good, the bad, and the ugly and give you resources to learn even more. First a very little history… (more…)
Tagged with: Medicare, Medicare Part D, Part D
by Gabriel Levitt, President, PharmacyChecker.com and Prescription Justice | Oct 13, 2016 | Advocacy, Internet Censorship, Policy
Americans Can’t Afford It.
Last week, an article was published by Jeremy Malcolm, senior global policy analyst for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, under the appropriate title, “How Big Pharma’s Shadow Regulation Censors the Internet.” Basically, Jeremy explains that due to drug company money and political influence in the United States, there are activities going on both in plain view and behind the scenes that are meant to curtail and even end access by Americans to lower cost medications being sold on the Internet.
I’ve been writing about this – albeit in less Internet policy, theoretical terms – for years and testified before and warned Congress in 2013 on this issue. About a month ago, I published an article on Circle ID, a source of news and opinion about Internet policy and governance, describing the actions of drug companies to dominate the Internet. My hope was to reach people just like Jeremy Malcolm at organizations like the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). EFF is a non-governmental organization, founded in 1990 to defend civil liberties in the digital world. They champion “user privacy, free expression, and innovation through impact litigation, policy analysis, grassroots activism, and technology development.” Read about its awesome work and history here. (more…)
Tagged with: Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies, Center for Safe Internet Pharmacies, Electronic Frontier Foundation, jeremy malcolm, LegitScript, NABP, shadow regulation, voluntary agreements
by Gabriel Levitt, President, PharmacyChecker.com and Prescription Justice | Oct 6, 2016 | Advocacy
If you would like the presidential debate this Sunday to cover the topic of personal drug importation, then vote here. It’s already known that both Clinton and Trump support expressly legalizing personal drug importation – but it would be better to hear them talk about it before tens of millions of people!
The Campaign for Personal Prescription Importation, PharmacyChecker.com, RxRights, Prescription Justice, and TodaysSeniorsNetwork came together in a joint effort to nudge the candidates to address the issue of importation during the debate. Our coalition is asking Americans to vote to include the following question in the debate: “What would you do to ensure access to affordable medications through importation?” We are also encouraging consumers to pipe up on social media and get their stories out there to Anderson Cooper and Martha Raddatz, the debate’s moderators.
For more information on this advocacy effort, see the news release.
Tagged with: anderson cooper, clinton, cppi, debate, prescription justice, RxRights, trump
Last month it was widely reported that big pharmaceutical companies were kicking in a fresh $300 million for myriad government, media, and “advocacy” efforts to keep drug prices high. The Pharmaceutical Researchers and Manufacturers of America, also known as Big Pharma, has asked its members, such as Eli Lilly, Merck and Pfizer to kick in $100 million more this next year because they know we’re on offense and they’re on defense. Part of their efforts will almost certainly include continuing to chip away at your ability to buy lower cost medication from other countries.
