How the drug companies are stealing YOU blind!

[Guest guest]

> Did you ever wonder how much it costs a drug company for the

active ingredient in prescription medications? Some people think it

must cost a lot, since many drugs sell for more than $2.00 per

tablet. We did a search of offshore chemical synthesizers that

supply the active ingredients found in drugs approved by the FDA.

As we have revealed in past issues of Life Extension, a significant

percentage of drugs sold in the United States contain active

ingredients made in other countries. In our independent

investigation of how much profit drug companies really make,

> we obtained the actual price of active ingredients used in some of

the most popular drugs sold in America.

 

> The data below speaks for itself.

 

> Celebrex: 100 mg

> Consumer price (100 tablets): $130.27

> Cost of general active ingredients: $ 0.60

> Percent markup: 21,712%

 

> Claritin: 1 0 mg

> Consumer Price (100 tablets): $215.17

> Cost of general active ingredients: $0.71

> Percent markup: 30,306%

 

> Keflex: 250 mg

> Consumer Price (100 tablets): $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

> C! ost of g eneral 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 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 Walgreen's 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 fed! erally r egulated 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 passing it into

your own e-mail, and send it to everyone you know with an e-mail

address.

 

> Sharon L. Davis

> Budget Analyst

> U.S . Department of Commerce

> Room 6839

> Office Ph: 202-482-4458

Office Fax: 202-482-5480