by Gabriel Levitt, Vice President, PharmacyChecker.com and Sam Werbalowsky, Pharmacychecker.com | Aug 9, 2013 | Advocacy, Drug Importation, Drug Prices
Brand name drug manufacturers made an estimated $98 billion in sales over the past eight years by paying generic manufacturers to postpone selling low-cost generic drugs, according to a new report released by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG). These “pay for delay” deals were recently the focus of a U.S. Supreme Court decision in which the Court ruled that companies engaging in them could be prosecuted under anti-trust laws.
PIRG’s analysis found that pay for delay agreements postponed market entry of generic drugs for an average of five years. It also found that the prices for delayed generics were on average ten times less than their brand-name counterparts.
Americans are too often victims to these higher brand name drug prices, especially those who pay for their drugs out of pocket. For example, the antidepressant Effexor XR costs $194 for a 30 day supply. Venlafaxine, the generic equivalent, costs only $17. Annually, that’s $2,124 cheaper. The venlafaxine pay for delay deal could have cost a consumer $9,983 over its 4.7 year duration.
The extra costs add up quickly. The FTC found in 2010 that these deals add $3.5 billion annually in increased healthcare costs for consumers and taxpayers, not to mention the negative health outcomes of some people skipping medication because of high costs.
We hope the Supreme Court decision will encourage the FTC to challenge and put an end to anticompetitive tactics by drug companies. In the meantime, as Americans wait for domestic action, they can find much lower cost brand medication in Canada and other international pharmacies by comparing prices on PharmacyChecker.com.
Tagged with: FTC, pay for delay, PIRG, Supreme Court
by Gabriel Levitt, Vice President, PharmacyChecker.com and Sam Werbalowsky, Pharmacychecker.com | Aug 8, 2013 | Advocacy, Drug Importation, Drug Prices
A weekly series identifying prescription drugs manufactured in America and their prices.
Restasis (Cyclosporine) is a popular medication used to increase tear production in patients with decreased natural ability to do so, possibly due to Chronic Dry Eye. Restasis is manufactured in the USA by Allergan Inc, and imported and marketed abroad by Allergan India Pvt. Ltd.
The cost for a 60-day supply of Restasis is $394 from a local U.S. pharmacy. From a PharmacyChecker.com verified online pharmacy, the same quantity costs $116. That’s a 71% savings, which adds up to $1,668 over an entire year.
Check back next week for the savings on another American drug available abroad.
Tagged with: American Made Prescriptions Are Cheaper Abroad, Restasis
by Gabriel Levitt, Vice President, PharmacyChecker.com and Sam Werbalowsky, Pharmacychecker.com | Aug 7, 2013 | Advocacy, Healthcare Reform, Personal Drug Importation
PharmacyCheckerBlog has reported on the potential effects of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) with respect to drug prices and access to medication. Our friends at RxRights.org provide an excellent discussion of this topic as it applies to seniors on Medicare Part D, and more specifically how personal drug importation will remain an important channel to medicine for those slipping through the cracks. Read their post here.
Tagged with: Medicare, Obamacare, seniors
by PharmacyChecker.com | Aug 1, 2013 | Advocacy, Drug Importation, Drug Prices, Online Pharmacies
A weekly series identifying prescription drugs manufactured in America and their prices.
Cymbalta (duloxetine hydrochloride), a popular medication for depression, anxiety, and chronic pain, is manufactured in Indiana, U.S.A. and marketed by Eli Lilly. The cost for a 90-day supply of Cymbalta (60 mg) is $878.99 at a local pharmacy in New York City. The cost for a 90-day supply of Cymbalta (60 mg) is $878.99 at a local pharmacy in New York City. From a PharmacyChecker.com verified online pharmacy, the same quantity costs $115.71. From a PharmacyChecker.com verified online pharmacy, the same quantity costs $115.71. That’s an 87% savings for a drug made in the U.S. if purchased abroad. Over the course of one year an American could save $3,053.
Check back next week for the savings on another American drug available abroad.
Tagged with: American Made Prescriptions Are Cheaper Abroad, Cymbalta, Eli Lilly
by PharmacyChecker.com | Jul 26, 2013 | Drug Importation, Drug Prices, Online Pharmacies
Do pharmacies outside the U.S. sell many of the same drugs sold at your local pharmacy? Of course. In fact, a good number are manufactured right here in the U.S. and then distributed for sale in other countries. Americans who buy them internationally can get the same drug but, typically, at a much lower cost.
We thought it would be helpful to identify some of these popular prescription brand medications that Americans personally import online for their own use that are manufactured in the good ol’ USA. We’ll be posting about one such drug each week.
Let’s start with Crestor (40 mg), a cholesterol-lowering drug manufactured by AstraZeneca. The packaging of this product shows that it was manufactured in the United States. The price of Crestor at a local New York City pharmacy for a 3-month supply is $679.99; at one of the international online pharmacies verified by PharmacyChecker.com the price is $140.04 – that’s a 79% savings! Alternatively, if you want to buy locally, you can get it with a free discount card for $538.43. There is no low-cost generic equivalent to Crestor available in the U.S.
Although Federal law technically prohibits Americans from purchasing this American-made drug internationally, no one, according to the FDA, has ever been prosecuted for doing so.
Keep checking our blog to learn about other American-made medications sold by international online pharmacies that require your valid prescription, and the incredible savings they offer. To find all U.S.-manufactured drug products researched for this series click here.
Tagged with: American Made Prescriptions Are Cheaper Abroad, AstraZeneca, Crestor
by Gabriel Levitt, Vice President, PharmacyChecker.com and Sam Werbalowsky, Pharmacychecker.com | Jul 17, 2013 | Drug Prices, Online Pharmacies, Prescription Drug Reports
Symbicort is one of the most popular medications used for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD affect over 13 million adults in the U.S., and is responsible for over 100,000 deaths annually. Unfortunately, Symbicort is expensive in the U.S. It’s just under $1,000 for a three –month supply at a local pharmacy in New York, and no low-cost generic is available. Though the manufacturer offers 1 free inhaler for a patient’s first prescription, the annual cost of Symbicort would still be around $3,500.
You can reduce your Symbicort costs by as much as 85% by ordering through a verified online international pharmacy, bringing your annual cost down to as little as $552. View our savings comparisons below.
For a list of PharmacyChecker.com approved pharmacies, click here, or view Symbicort prices here.
Prices and Savings on Symbicort 160 mcg/4.5 mcg (3 inhalers, 120 doses per inhaler):
| Program |
Price |
Savings Compared to Local Price |
| U.S. Local Pharmacy |
$950.99 |
— |
| Discount Card Price at U.S. Pharmacy |
$765.68 |
19% |
| International Online Pharmacy* |
$138.00 |
85% |
Prices as of 7/17/2013. Local pharmacy in New York City. Discount card price from RxCut.com. International Online Pharmacy price is lowest listed of PharmacyChecker.com listed pharmacies.
*Drug is the same as sold in U.S. but may be sold under a different brand name
Tagged with: COPD, Symbicort
