The True Price of Medicine in this country.

It is vital, I guess, to understand the level of greed and rapacious theft that goes under the rubric of Capitalism in this country. It is assumed that this economic system has brought great wealth to the majority of people in this country, as we enjoy a standard of living achieved by very few other civilizations. However it is not a result of Capitalism, rather, the wealth of goods we now enjoy are due to two factors: Intervention of Government Policies to create a middle class and who subequently work to prevent corporations from destroying their own consumer base; Labor Unions that have forced republican business owners to share some of the profit with employees. On one hand we have had in the past a Government that tried to be fair to the consumer and control some of the more predatory instincts of Capitalism, and on the other, we have had labor unions that believed a living wage was just and proper. Under Bush, we have neither.

Below is a listing of pharmeceutical drugs that are currently on the market. This is an example of Capitalism run amok. It should also be noted that the Pharmaceutical Industry is The LARGEST contributor to the Bushite Cabal. As a result, they enjoy unprecedented profits and we, the consumer, enjoy the bitter consequences.

This is what happens when an industry is allowed to finance politicians.

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

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

Keflex: 250 mgConsumer Price (100 tablets): $157.39Cost of general active ingredients: $1.88Percent markup: 8,372%

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(The author of this piece goes on to praise COSTCO for their refusal to follow this egregious theft.)

"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! ...(are there) any pharmacies that did not adhere to
this practice (of screwing the customers), 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 nauseain chemo patients.(image placeholder)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...."

(Below is the researcher for this information)

Sharon L .Davis
Budget Analyst
U.S. Dept of Commerce
Room 6839
Office - 202-482-4458
email: sdavis@doc.gov

(Thanks Jan, for sending this on to me)