Quote:
Originally Posted by beerptrol
I think it's like Nike shoes. Cheap to make but all the over head from paying celebrities huge contracts, ceo salary and marketing.
In big Pharms case its marketing, lobbying, ceo salaries, and paying off politicians
Some drugs were developed with tax payer money and yet they hike up the prices
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A lot of it is the pharma companies knowing how to game the system. I was diagnosed with asthma in 1979 when I was 8-years-old. The first inhaler I was prescribed was called Proventil. It is still on the market today. There are 3 or 4 different brands of albuterol based inhalers available today, but no generics. In the roughly 38 years since I was diagnosed, there have only been generics available for a few years because the manufacturers of these things are able to renew their exclusivity.
Another crazy thing is their pricing. The last time I bought an inhaler using cash was about a year ago (normally I have an insurance co-pay) and it was about $50. I asked about buying one with cash recently and the price was now $100. I asked the pharmacist why it doubled in price in the last year and he just shrugged and said, "Becuase they know you have no other real option."
kind of sad.