Prescription Drug Costs - What a RIP OFF !

[Health Advocate]

Prescription Drug Costs ... read to the end. It is appalling!

Celebrex 100 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $130.27
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.60
Percent markup: 21,712%

Claritin 10 mg
Consumer Price (100 tablets): $215.17
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.71
Percent markup: 30,306%

Keflex 250 mg
Consumer Price (100 tab lets): $157.39
Cost of general! active ingredients: $1.88
Percent markup: 8,372%

Lipitor 20 mg
Consumer Price (100 tablets): $272.37
Cost of general active ingredients: $5.80
Percent markup: 4,696%

Norvasc 10 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $188.29
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.14
Percent markup: 134,493%

Paxil 20 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $220.27
Cost of general active ingredients: $7.60
Percent markup: 2,898%

Prevacid 30 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $44.77
Cost of general active ingredients: $1.01
Percent markup: 34,136%

Prilosec 20 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $360.97
Cost of general active ingredients $0.52
Percent markup: 69,417%

Prozac 20 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets) : $247.47
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.11
Percent markup: 224,973%

Tenormin 50 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $104.47
Cost of general active ingredients:! $0.13
Percent markup: 80,362%

Vasotec 10 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $102.37
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.20
Percent markup: 51,185%

Xanax 1 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets) : $136.79
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.024
Percent markup: 569,958%

Zestril 20 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets) $89.89
Cost of general active ingredients $3.20
Percent markup: 2,809%

Zithromax 600 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $1,482.19
Cost of general active ingredients: $18.78
Percent markup: 7,892%

Zocor 40 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $350.27
Cost of general active ingredients: $8.63
Percent markup: 4,059%

Zoloft 50 mg
Consumer price: $206.87
Cost of general active ingredients: $1.75
Percent markup: 11,821%

Since the cost of prescription drugs is so outrageous, I thought
everyone I knew should know about this. Please read the following
And pass it on. It pays to shop around. This helps to solve the
mystery as to why they can afford to put a Walgreens on every corner.

On Monday night, Steve Wilson, an investigative reporter for
channel 7 News in Detroit, did a story on generic drug price
Gouging by pharmacies. He found in his investigation, that some
of these generic drugs were marked up as much as 3,000% or more.
Yes, that's not a typo.....three thousand percent!

So often, we blame the drug companies for the high cost of drugs,
and usually rightfully so. But in this case, the fault clearly
lies with the pharmacies themselves. For example, if you had to buy a
Prescription drug, and bought the name brand, you might pay $100 for
100 pills. The pharmacist might tell you that if you get the generic
equivalent, they would only cost $80, making you think you are "saving"
$20. What the pharmacist is not telling you is that those 100 generic
pills may have only cost him $10!

At the end of the report, one of the anchors asked Mr. Wilson
whether or not there were any pharmacies that did not adhere to
this practice, and he said that Costco consistently charged little
Over their cost for the generic drugs. I went to the Costco site,
where you can look up any drug, and get its online price. It says
that the in-store prices are consistent with the online prices.
I was appalled.

Just to give you one example from my own experience, I had to use
the drug, Compazine, which helps prevent nausea in chemo patients.
I used the generic equivalent, which cost $54.99 for 60 pills at CVS.
I checked the price at Costco, and I could have bought 100 pills for
$19.89. For 145 of my pain pills, I paid $72.57. I could have got
150 at Costco for $28.08. I would like to mention, that although
Costco is a "membership" type store, you do NOT have to be a member
to buy prescriptions there, as it is a federally regulated substance.
You just tell them at the door that you wish to use the pharmacy,
and they will let you in (this is true, I went there this past Thursday
and asked them).

I am asking each of you to please help me by copying this letter,
and pasting it into your own email, and send it to everyone you know
With an email address.

Sharon L. Davis, Budget Analyst
U.S. Department of Commerce Room 6839
Office Ph: 202-482-4458
Office Fax: 202-482-5480
Email Address: sdavis@doc.gov

Mary Palmer, Budget Analyst
Bureau of Economic Analysis
Office of Budget & Finance
Voice: (202) 606-9295
Fax: (202) 606-5324