Drug goes from $50/vial to $28,000/vial. Best Healthcare in the world, Baby!

[JimDandy]

78. No society DOESN'T tolerate those costs.

Last edited Sun Dec 30, 2012, 01:14 PM - Edit history (1)

We simply don't know about them til they make the news. They make the news because they are outrageous, unfair and NOT tolerable. And Americans are often charged WAY more for a drug then consumers of that same drug in other countries.

Pharmaceutical costs, and in fact all medical costs, have been hidden from patients through the concerted efforts of insurance companies and the doctors and hospitals themselves. Just try and get the cost of a procedure or surgery from a doctor/hospital beforehand, so you can cost compare. I tried and wasn't able to. Heard everything from "We don't know what the codes are going to be for this thing" to "it varies by insurance." No other industry or product that I can think of doesn't work to get you as accurate a cost/bid as possible, before you purchase it.

So Acthar costs $280 to manufacture? And they charge $28,000 for it. Sickening. Is their argument that R & D accounts for most of that difference? Couldn't they average the R & D costs of all their products and divide it equally among all the products? It's overhead and that's what other businesses do with overhead.

Off rant.

edit for missing words.