by Gabriel Levitt, President, PharmacyChecker.com and Prescription Justice | May 19, 2010 | Healthcare Reform
You should know that drug prices are going down in the European Union, which is good for consumers — if you live in Europe. On our side of the ocean, according to AARP’s most recent price report, US drug price increases are on an even greater tare than previously reported – almost 10% over the last year. Analysts suggest that pharmaceutical companies continue to jack up prices on brand name drugs so that government-mandated rebates have less impact on corporate profits. Other reasons may include the need to compensate for lower prices in Europe and a desire to squeeze more profits in the face of pending patent expirations on several blockbuster drugs, such as Lipitor in 2011.
The bottom line is that the more drug prices go up now, the less meaningful the Medicare drug plan discounts will be later. Additionally, higher drug prices can push up Medicare drug plan premiums (up 11% in 2010 already) and have a major impact on tens of millions without health insurance or a drug benefit.
Tagged with: Drug Prices, Healthcare Reform, Medicare, pharmaceutical companies
by Gabriel Levitt, President, PharmacyChecker.com and Prescription Justice | May 3, 2010 | Politics
One of the co-sponsors of the Pharmaceutical Market Access and Drug Safety Act, with Senator Byron Dorgan, was recently honored for “her ongoing advocacy of policies and initiatives that seek to improve the lives of older Americans age 50-plus.” Senator Olympia Snowe (R – ME) was awarded the 2009 Legislative Leadership Award by AARP for her support and efforts toward quality healthcare, especially affordable prescription drugs. This shows just how concerned our leading senior’s organization is with high cost of prescription drugs in this country. That AARP’s focus was on Snowe’s efforts to legalize safe personal drug importation speaks volumes that this issue will persist in the aftermath of the new healthcare legislation.
Tagged with: Dorgan, Drug Prices, Healthcare Reform, personal drug importation, Snowe
by Gabriel Levitt, President, PharmacyChecker.com and Prescription Justice | Feb 9, 2010 | Skipping medications
To launch our new blog, we thought we’d get to the heart of the matter. Prescription drug prices are out of reach for almost half the country. Brand name drugs are, on average, 50% higher in the United States than other countries. In fact, when comparing prescription drug prices online, the savings outside the U.S. are over 70%. That is the main reason Americans have turned to online pharmacies and personal drug importation. (more…)
Tagged with: Drug Importation, Drug Price S.O.S., Drug Prices, Harvard School of Public Health
