Medical Cost

[Snobdds]

My psoriasis medication was $6000 a month. Insurance would only cover 70%.

Humira?

That is the single most prescribed, high dollar drug, ever. The patent has since expired, and doctors should be prescribing bio similar drugs that cost a lot less...but guess what, doctors are still prescribing Humira specifically. They make so much money from drug reps that they won't let their patients go to lower cost drugs. We have a saying...

International symbol for Peace -
International symbol for Love -
International symbol for money -
International symbol for greed -

 

[m7040]

Wife was on Humera a biological drug that cost thousands out of pocket under the prescription plan. A new doctor suggested she switch to Cimzia infusion at the doctors office and since this is covered by Medicare under hospitalization she now pays nothing out of pocket for a similar biological drug

 

[Dftodd]

Humira?

That is the single most prescribed, high dollar drug, ever. The patent has since expired, and doctors should be prescribing bio similar drugs that cost a lot less...but guess what, doctors are still prescribing Humira specifically. They make so much money from drug reps that they won't let their patients go to lower cost drugs. We have a saying...

International symbol for Peace -
International symbol for Love -
International symbol for money -
International symbol for greed -

No, I've been on two of the other drugs for it that are advertised heavily on TV.

Taltz was $6000 per shot. Requiring 1 shot every 4 weeks.

I'm not sure what the cost of Tremfaya is.

This one requires a shot every 8 weeks.

My employer changed how they handle the specialty medication.

They chose a plan that took advantage of the copay assistance. Once my copay assistance card runs out. My employer picks up the tab.

I can't afford to quit my job now

If they had a generic out for one of these meds, my insurance would be screaming for me to switch.

 

[ruffdog]

A cousin with kidney disease had to pay $25,000 out of pocket for meds before medicare would kick in.

One of the drugs my mother takes for Multiple Myeloma is $250,000 a year.

If your doctor decides you need medication, the price tag of cancer drugs can be staggering. Cancer drug therapies often involve a combination of two or three medications rather than just one. In one study, the total cost of a multi-medication therapy for people with multiple myeloma -- before insurance -- ranged from about $74,000 to as much as $256,000.

 

[tradosaurus]

Healthcare is primarily your diet, exercise, sleep, and lifestyle habits. What people call healthcare is actually sick care. Sick care wouldn't be so expensive if people practiced better healthcare. But, since they don't, we need to manage it for them through making healthcare more expensive for people that practice poor habits.

If you weigh 500 pounds, you should pay more for care since that person will utilize more care than a person that weighs 200 pounds.

Simple logic.

 

[Jstpssng]

View attachment 3835462

Let me guess; you just invested in an eye bleach company.

 

[Snobdds]

One of the drugs my mother takes for Multiple Myeloma is $250,000 a year.

If your doctor decides you need medication, the price tag of cancer drugs can be staggering. Cancer drug therapies often involve a combination of two or three medications rather than just one. In one study, the total cost of a multi-medication therapy for people with multiple myeloma -- before insurance -- ranged from about $74,000 to as much as $256,000.

That's nothing...

We have people on 250K per month drugs. Anything to do with blood clotting issues is big time money.

 

[LouNY]

Part of the high cost of drugs is the regulatory standards in this country. Having working 13 years as a calibration technician for a bio-pharmacutical plus several years as a contractor working in several pharmaceuticals.
Between all the clinical studies that have to be done and the results having to be studied for several years before a drug can be released. Then with very few actually making it to market, the ones that do make it to market have to not only cover their costs but others as well as research for others.

 

[ponytug]

It takes something on the order of $6B to bring a new drug to market, more if it is a risky indication like cardiac or neurology.

Using an old drug in a new indication is cheaper, but if cardiac safety testing is required, it can run $250MM for that trial.

Many other countries are willing to accept fewer studies and a higher risk for patients, allowing the drugs on to the market and then seeing if people get into trouble or die. That concept has not flown well at the FDA, nor in Congress.

It takes a rare individual to say "enough is enough, and I am declining this and any further treatment". Depending on whose numbers you follow, spending in the last year of life costs Medicare (alone) 30% of its budget. We have "medicalized" the last year(s) of life and medical technology and pharmacology can do a great deal, for a price.

All the best,

Peter

 

[Snobdds]

It takes something on the order of $6B to bring a new drug to market, more if it is a risky indication like cardiac or neurology.

Using an old drug in a new indication is cheaper, but if cardiac safety testing is required, it can run $250MM for that trial.

Many other countries are willing to accept fewer studies and a higher risk for patients, allowing the drugs on to the market and then seeing if people get into trouble or die. That concept has not flown well at the FDA, nor in Congress.

It takes a rare individual to say "enough is enough, and I am declining this and any further treatment". Depending on whose numbers you follow, spending in the last year of life costs Medicare (alone) 30% of its budget. We have "medicalized" the last year(s) of life and medical technology and pharmacology can do a great deal, for a price.

All the best,

Peter

This is true, but the US funds the R&D for the world.

For example, Humira cost the US consumer around 7K per injection, even during the patent phase. That same injection in Europe was around $200.

Big pharma has deals with Pharmacy Benefit Managers to soak the US consumer with the brunt of the costs. The US has money and good insurance companies, they know where to make back the R&D costs.

I have heard PBM's want to use AI to set pricing for Rx drugs. They will use AI to understand what a person can afford. If you are wealthy, it will cost more and vice versa. hoo boy...