Message from @nimble_newt
Discord ID: 625147804590800896
However, with Epi Pens, the price was low and went high.
There was also the malaria drug that is also used to treat HIV which Shrenki or whatever his name is decided to raise by like 1000% in price.
Another good example is IV kits and saline/lactated ringers.
Yeah that was appalling but this is on the prescription drug side. Like Pharma
Is there anything wrong with practicing physician side of medicine?
300-400 USD for a saline IV that costs less than 5 USD overall to produce.
Part of the problem is in billing.
All of which comes down to entry-barriers and the inability for entrepreneurs and pre-existing firms to exploit the pricing disparities, aka there's a lack of competition.
....and it's both hospital AND pharma issues.
And the lack of competition stems from regulation. 😉
It's an industry wide issue, Brok.
The chargemaster, for example, tells physicians in a hospital or a practice what they should charge.
The reality is insurance isn't even necessary.
.....people would be able to pay out of pocket if the prices were at the correct value.
Wow dude that's fucked up
Jfc
EMS doesn't have those same issues to that extent.
.....but there is still an issue of pharma charging so much for simple meds.
...and some cost more because they expire.
Do you think it's the regulations or public ignorance that allows this to continue
a) r&d costs money,
b) the rest of the world gets meds at cost, leaving the US to get milked for 100% of the r&d
....so the price goes up, because they are meds with a low shelf life and a low demand but are necessary.
R&D does cost money.
There is nothing to research on inhalers, as an example, though. That's over 200 year old tech.
low shelf life not a function of price exploitation. it's a function of chemistry/biology
Albuterol is a 60 year old med.
and 1 inhaler cost $60 cash
but the company that makes that inhaler also r&d's other drugs
In ambulance stations, certain meds are billed for more because they're rarely used and their shelf life is shorter. An albuterol inhaler is not 60 in cash.
tell that to my pharmacy
how much then?
It costs around 3 dollars to manufacture.
Maybe another dollar to ship.
okay, we talking different things with "cost"
As far as the end user sale...
it costs __me__ $60
at walmart pharmacy
It costs less than a dollar to make, and they charge 60$ to cover the loss incurred during r&d, if you have insurance than they would get charged that cost and then charge you a copay
I went for a Ventolin inhaler last week. 200 USD.
yes, the copay on a albuteral inhaler is $30(ish)