Drug Manufacturers lobbying for patent extensions

[OklahomaRed]

Some discussion out there in the medical news stating drug manufacturers are lobbying congress for patent extensions to promote more research and innovation. I'm all in for this as long as the new research and innovation is truly "new" therapy. One of my biggest issues with drug manufacturers is when they come out with the sustained release, or the active enatiomer of a drug already on the market. Even worse is when they combine a couple of generic medications into one medication and charge 10X the cost. Drug companies are all about the dollar. They are NOT worried about your health. The United States pays 70% higher prescription costs than the rest of the world simply because drug companies know the federal government is subsidizing everyones' medications. Just another form of a hidden tax.

[badger]

Lipitor was weeping this past year when its exclusivity finally bit the dust. Can you imagine what will happen when Viagra finally becomes a generic?

[SoonerAtKU]

I don't think that, short of eliminating patents on prescription drugs altogether, this is going to have much impact on price to customer. Yes, you can get a generic faster if the patent period is shorter, but branded prices have increased to make up for that revenue loss, and you've mentioned the "creative" ways to get around those patent losses. Longer patent times just mean less pressure to fudge progress and push to market. However, now that the paradigm has shifted, it's going to take a great deal more than this to break the cycle.

At my job, things were pretty peachy up until 2008-9 or so when we finally felt the sting of the recession. I work with people who STILL think things are going to go "back to normal" after the economy recovers some. What they fail to realize is that there's no financial incentive to go back to paying more for workers, giving better raises, and creating more local, baseline-level positions. Unless the business model fundamentally changes, this is what we have for the foreseeable future. This IS normal.

[dwarthog]

Lipitor was weeping this past year when its exclusivity finally bit the dust. Can you imagine what will happen when Viagra finally becomes a generic?

Woodies for everyone?

Sorry couldn't resist...

[Midtowner]

Some discussion out there in the medical news stating drug manufacturers are lobbying congress for patent extensions to promote more research and innovation. I'm all in for this as long as the new research and innovation is truly "new" therapy. One of my biggest issues with drug manufacturers is when they come out with the sustained release, or the active enatiomer of a drug already on the market. Even worse is when they combine a couple of generic medications into one medication and charge 10X the cost. Drug companies are all about the dollar. They are NOT worried about your health. The United States pays 70% higher prescription costs than the rest of the world simply because drug companies know the federal government is subsidizing everyones' medications. Just another form of a hidden tax.

How would protecting profit margins for old drugs encourage them to produce new ones?

That's just illogical.

[Mississippi Sooner]

Lipitor was weeping this past year when its exclusivity finally bit the dust. Can you imagine what will happen when Viagra finally becomes a generic?

I have to take the maximum dose of Lipitor, and earlier this year I was told that I could get a card from Pfizer that would cover all the cost of the drug that my insurance doesn't pick up except for $4. So, I got the Lipitor and was happy to pay only $4/month for it.

Then, the patent expired at the end of November and my pharmacy filled the prescription with the generic. When I went to pay for it, they said, "that'll be $60." I said, "oh no it won't. I only pay $4 for the name brand." The card is good through November, 1012, and it seems that Blue Cross and some other insurers aren't covering the cost of the generic. The pharmacist took another look and said, "wow, why would anyone want to buy the generic?" Then she refilled the prescription and charged me the $4 that I'd been paying.

[badger]

Awesome people like Mississippi Sooner are why we need to allow drug patents to eventually expire, people who depend on these drugs for their wellbeing and livelihoods that have absolutely no alternative and are at the mercy of the company charging whatever it does. I don't remember the costs, but do remember reading that Lipitor amounted to about $7 billion in annual revenue for Pfizer before the patent ran out.

I have heard that Pfizer is going to discontinue this, however, because their revenue is the same, but not the profits. So, enjoy $4 Lipitor while you can. Mind me asking how much it was before it lost its patent protection?

[Mississippi Sooner]

Awesome people like Mississippi Sooner are why we need to allow drug patents to eventually expire, people who depend on these drugs for their wellbeing and livelihoods that have absolutely no alternative and are at the mercy of the company charging whatever it does. I don't remember the costs, but do remember reading that Lipitor amounted to about $7 billion in annual revenue for Pfizer before the patent ran out.

I have heard that Pfizer is going to discontinue this, however, because their revenue is the same, but not the profits. So, enjoy $4 Lipitor while you can. Mind me asking how much it was before it lost its patent protection?

I've never paid more than the $25 co-pay that I'm required to pay for name brands, but I'm sure that the 80mg version was well north of $100.

[OUTrumpet]

I used to get Allegra D for my allergies before it went generic. Before generic, insurance would take care of all but $9 for a month's supply.

After it went generic, for the same strength, it is now $34.99 for 10 days. My insurance doesn't cover it anymore as it's OTC and my benefits card doesn't cover it either.

[FirstandGoal]

I've never paid more than the $25 co-pay that I'm required to pay for name brands, but I'm sure that the 80mg version was well north of $100.

Surely you aren't referring to the actual cost of the medication?


Cause if so, you're off by about $500-600

[FirstandGoal]

I have to take the maximum dose of Lipitor, and earlier this year I was told that I could get a card from Pfizer that would cover all the cost of the drug that my insurance doesn't pick up except for $4. So, I got the Lipitor and was happy to pay only $4/month for it.

Then, the patent expired at the end of November and my pharmacy filled the prescription with the generic. When I went to pay for it, they said, "that'll be $60." I said, "oh no it won't. I only pay $4 for the name brand." The card is good through November, 1012, and it seems that Blue Cross and some other insurers aren't covering the cost of the generic. The pharmacist took another look and said, "wow, why would anyone want to buy the generic?" Then she refilled the prescription and charged me the $4 that I'd been paying.


Not attacking you Mississippi Sooner because I would have totally done the same thing in your place. I mean, you would have to be a complete idiot to pay $60 instead of $4. I totally get it.

But here is what people have to ask themselves...... do you really think that drug manufacturer is being altruistic and deciding to give people a break with $4 for a normally $400 or more rx? So they're just happier than a pig eating **** to take that kind of loss? One of the biggest losers in this scenario is the hard working person who just processed that nifty little card and saw their pharmacy get hosed on the reimbursement. Sometimes.... every now and then.... we actually eeke out enough of an infestesimal profit on these kinds of things to cover the cost of the label, bottle, tape, and rx bag it takes to get the thing out the door -- we do if we're lucky. Sometimes if not, we have to just stand there and shake our heads at the computer screen and wonder how in the hell we went from pharmacy school graduates to drug and insurance company bitches.

[dwarthog]

Not attacking you Mississippi Sooner because I would have totally done the same thing in your place. I mean, you would have to be a complete idiot to pay $60 instead of $4. I totally get it.

But here is what people have to ask themselves...... do you really think that drug manufacturer is being altruistic and deciding to give people a break with $4 for a normally $400 or more rx? So they're just happier than a pig eating **** to take that kind of loss? One of the biggest losers in this scenario is the hard working person who just processed that nifty little card and saw their pharmacy get hosed on the reimbursement. Sometimes.... every now and then.... we actually eeke out enough of an infestesimal profit on these kinds of things to cover the cost of the label, bottle, tape, and rx bag it takes to get the thing out the door -- we do if we're lucky. Sometimes if not, we have to just stand there and shake our heads at the computer screen and wonder how in the hell we went from pharmacy school graduates to drug and insurance company bitches.

Great input.

We all to often forget in the rush to get "free" stuff for everyone, that somebody somewhere is taking it in the shorts to make that happen.

[Mississippi Sooner]

Not attacking you Mississippi Sooner because I would have totally done the same thing in your place. I mean, you would have to be a complete idiot to pay $60 instead of $4. I totally get it.

But here is what people have to ask themselves...... do you really think that drug manufacturer is being altruistic and deciding to give people a break with $4 for a normally $400 or more rx? So they're just happier than a pig eating **** to take that kind of loss? One of the biggest losers in this scenario is the hard working person who just processed that nifty little card and saw their pharmacy get hosed on the reimbursement. Sometimes.... every now and then.... we actually eeke out enough of an infestesimal profit on these kinds of things to cover the cost of the label, bottle, tape, and rx bag it takes to get the thing out the door -- we do if we're lucky. Sometimes if not, we have to just stand there and shake our heads at the computer screen and wonder how in the hell we went from pharmacy school graduates to drug and insurance company bitches.

As to your previous post, it wouldn't shock me at all if the actual cost was in excess of $500 or $600. My hepatitis C medication cost almost $1,000 for a TWO WEEK supply, and that was over a decade ago.

And yes, I did wonder exactly how the whole discount card dealio worked as far as the pharmacy was concerned. I just figured that the pharmacy would still get paid the same amount from the insurance company that they would have anyway, but not knowing what sort of mark up the pharmacy puts on the medications, I didn't know how much margin they were losing by not having my full co-pay. That's an interesting perspective.

[FirstandGoal]

As to your previous post, it wouldn't shock me at all if the actual cost was in excess of $500 or $600. My hepatitis C medication cost almost $1,000 for a TWO WEEK supply, and that was over a decade ago.

And yes, I did wonder exactly how the whole discount card dealio worked as far as the pharmacy was concerned. I just figured that the pharmacy would still get paid the same amount from the insurance company that they would have anyway, but not knowing what sort of mark up the pharmacy puts on the medications, I didn't know how much margin they were losing by not having my full co-pay. That's an interesting perspective.

Also, I wanted to clarify. In absolutely no way was the pharmacy ever under any circumstances making a several hundred dollar profit on any kind of rx ( I wish!), but when these pricing cards come out, everybody in the custody chain has to take a licking. So instead of a modest profit of around $10-$20 a prescription (which is still nowhere near high enough for the services provided, IMO) we are now "lucky" if we don't lose $$$ by the time the overhead is calculated in. This, in short, is one reason why you see such pathetic customer service at so many chain retail outlets.
I'm lucky enough to work for an independent, and while my paycheck is considerably less (by over 25%) of my counterparts who work for the giant chains, my working conditions are head and shoulders above theirs. I actually get a lunch break (most days) and don't have to work 14 hour shifts with no bathroom break. So many times we get people in our pharmacy bitching about the chains, and what I really want to say is "what the **** do truly expect in return for a ****ing $4 rx?!?!?!"


In the end, you usually get what you pay for.

[badger]

As much as I know that places like Walmart destroys small hometown businesses that provide their workers with decent wages and benefits, I am not sure I really blame people with expenses out the wazoo shopping at the place with the lowest prices in town.

Same goes for the cheapest pharmacy. Seniors living on dinky social security payments and those with longterm health issue are either going to get $4 prescriptions or go without, because with you're taking 20 pills daily, you can't afford the decent price at the independent pharmacies.

It's business. It sucks. And we all know it.