Drug prices

C

caroln

Senior Member
Location
Kentucky
I ran across this on the Forbes website recently:

"Compared to what it spends on R&D, Pharma’s spend on TV ads is pretty minor – a total of $3.9 billion in 2021."

Yeah, minor. They actually said that.

In a different website, they said it's higher than that, but it includes OTC drug ads:

"Pharma is the fourth-largest spender on TV ads in the U.S., with $6.6 billion spent over the past year. That’s according to MediaRadar’s annual study of TV ad spending, which includes OTC drug ads in its total that push it higher than other tallies."

That's BILLIONS. I guess that's why drug prices are so high...so we can watch all the TV ads for drugs we can't buy without a prescription. And so our doctor's can get irritated when we ask about them.

As I've said before, I don't like to complain without offering a solution, but this just boggles the mind.
 

hollydolly said:
know you're talking about the uSA.. but I jjst thought I'd mention that in the UK Adverts for Drugs are Banned
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They were banned here too (USA) until the early 80s. I worked in a hospital for a lot of years. Patients would frequently ask for a specific drug because of a TV ad.
The ads almost all end with " ask your doctor if ________is right for you." I really wish they were banned again.
 
The U.S and New Zealand are about the only nations which allow these TV advertisements. Ultimately, anyone who takes prescriptions gets to pay for this nonsense. If these ads were eliminated, it would probably reduce drug costs by several percentage points. However, since these drug companies are among the most "generous" political campaign donors, little is likely to change.
 
caroln said:
I ran across this on the Forbes website recently:

"Compared to what it spends on R&D, Pharma’s spend on TV ads is pretty minor – a total of $3.9 billion in 2021."
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When my kids were allowed to watch regular tv (instead of PBS), one of them would come to me and quote drug ads, including the side effects listed. Then he'd ask why anyone would take drugs. I used it as a jumping-off point to teach them about not using drugs unless for their prescribed purpose, and for not using illegal drugs.

This is the same kid that would quote toy ads verbatim, including "batteries not included". I got a kick out of that. Mostly I wondered how he could remember the ads so well. He must have gotten it from my husband, who can recall the date, and location of every item of clothing he's bought. He also remembers phone numbers the first time he hears them, stuff like that. I wish I had his memory. I've lived here for 1.5 years and I still don't know the code for my front door lock, so I don't use the front door.

But I was furious that drug ads were on shows for kids.They were allowed to watch Power Rangers because nearly every kid in their kindergarten classes did. This helped give them something in common with the other kids so it was socially important. I don't think many adults watch that show, except for mothers who have to hear it if their kids are watching it.The K insisted on putting them in separate classes, which was not a good idea for my kids. It ended with 1st grade because I made such a stink about treating multiples as individual family groups and believing their mom knew what was best for them.

I think drug ads should be banned from TV. Maybe the prices would drop a little bit. And maybe people won't think they've discovered a drug that will help them, when often they have not. At least this is what my doctor said. There was a website that told how much individual doctors made from drug company perks. My doctor made $400 a year, on lunches the drug salespeople bought in for his staff. There were docs on there that were making tens of thousands of dollar.
 
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Don M. said:
Many of the doctors get big "kickbacks" from the drug companies....which leads to even more abuse of prescription drugs.
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I went to the link provided for data from 2020 and 2021, and my doc got $59.93 for 2021 for food & beverages. My oncologist and my cardiologist have received $0.

Here is the link for 2020 and 2021: https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/
 
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My PCP has disclosed $41.00.

It looks like lunch on three separate occasions with a drug company rep.

For folks that live in New York State check out EPIC, a state-sponsored program that helps with drug costs.

https://www.health.ny.gov/health_care/epic/eligibility.htm

My coverage and deductible changes each year based on the previous year's New York State income tax, but it has been a big help to me in paying for my prescription drugs while I'm in the Medicare donut hole.
 
Pepper said:
One of my docs made almost $40K! This doc has really helped me. I wouldn't be walking if not for him.
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I noticed that the docs that make a lot (into the millions!) are often enriched by selling the rights to their "personal intellectual property". I assume this includes inventions, and I have no clue what else. I only looked up the doc who made the most money.

I wouldn't be walking if not for my interventional cardiologist. I will be grateful to him to my dying day. In Boston, my doc said it was bursitis and I couldn't convince him to do anything. Turned out earlier that he had a women's ailments are caused by stress problem. Here, the doc brought it up when I was getting a heart cath, and I was surprised to discover the cause and get it fixed before it killed me. I hadn't even told him about it.

Heck, I wouldn't be alive if not for my oncologist. It was worth what I went through, although at the time, I sometimes wondered if I were dying. I will always be grateful to her, too.
 
WheatenLover said:
I went to the link provided for data from 2020 and 2021, and my doc got $59.93 for 2021 for food & beverages. My oncologist and my cardiologist have received $0.

Here is the link for 2020 and 2021: https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/
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Thanks, that was quite interesting. My doctors seem on the low end of the range, one about $1,200 and one $700. The $1,200 was mostly "educational", not sure what that is. The rest was food and beverage. I don't like the idea of doctors getting kickbacks, however it seems unlikely to me this is enough to have much impact on them. Does any one know are these payments for prescribing or using the company's drugs, or more marketing to the doctors?
caroln said:
That's BILLIONS. I guess that's why drug prices are so high...so we can watch all the TV ads for drugs we can't buy without a prescription.
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I tend to agree, can't see why you can't watch adverts for whiskey, but you can for prescription drugs. The adverts do little to inform, if a lay person wants to research drugs there is lots of good info out there.
 
My diabetic doctor changed all my insulin shots to pin shots. One I take is 900.00 dollars a month. Name is Ozempic and Humalog Kwik Pen and Basaglar pen. I did take walmart brand insulin which was in a vial bottle for 25.00 dollars each. She gave me all samples of this new pen shots.
 
I thought the new bill that was signed into law “The Inflation Reduction Act” lowers the cost of insulin to people on Medicare to $35 per month starting in 2023? Yes? Before my wife died, she was on insulin twice a day. Luckily, we were in very good financial condition and was able to afford the costs of her insulin thanks to the military picking up most of the costs.

I may be getting ahead of myself, but when my wife was alive, we both agreed that her diabetes would probably be what would eventually kill her before she reached 60. Her Endocrinologist reluctantly agreed. I thank God everyday that my son has never been close to having any issues with diabetes and his sugar numbers have always been just below the average. His last glucose level was 88.

On a very serious note, my wife was diagnosed with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes at the same time when she was 15. She made me aware of this before we married, but love is blind and I would have married her if she only had one leg. Her brother lost both legs before his death and was in a VA nursing home at his time of death. I wanted to take care of him at my house, but the VA convinced me that he would be better off with being in the home.

I had a very difficult time dealing with him not having any legs when I visited him. It broke my heart. He was a retired Marine and it was found while he was in his seventh year in the Corps. He wanted to make Captain before retiring. They retired him after they discovered his Diabetes. He was so active and fought in two wars. Dave (his real name) was actually a hero to me. I really looked up to him. He was so positive and had many different skills. He could draw almost anything from memory, played 5 different instruments and spoke 7 different languages, including Arabic. If he had any faults, it would be his lack of fear. He was what people call a risk taker. I was a mess the day he died, but I was glad that I was with him when he took his last breath.

I didn’t mean to make a long post. Sorry.
 
I take a special medication called xeljanz xr for my rheumatoid arthritis. While my wife worked I was on her insurance and able to get co-pay assistance through the pharmecutical company that makes the drug. Now that both of us are on medicare its covered my drug pharmacy but they want to much out of pocket for me to continue this drug. I've sent paperwork in to see if I can get the drug for free but believe that will not happen. I also am diabetic and take a injectable by way of pen called lantus that is covered well by my drug card. If I can't get the RA drug free will hopefully be able to do an infusion medication that is supposed to be covered by medicare.
 

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