Why the US Pays more than other countries for Drugs

[senseamp]

Americans pay more, because they are willing to pay more.

Unwilling to do anything to pay less is more like it.

 

[ivwshane]

You presume I see it as broken, as I mentioned before if anything I see drug companies trying too hard to work with other nations to accommodate their cost control measures....making the US foot the bill of much of their R&D work....instead I would rather the drug companies actually charge realistic prices to all nations which includes a healthy markup that allows them to continue funding their R&D operations into the future.

The Liberals/Democrats are typically the ones clamoring for more government control/regulation on drug costs, and as mentioned above they did pass the ACA, so they had ample opportunity to correct this yet neglected to do so....

Once again, you guys have only yourselves to blame if you're unhappy with the current situation around drug costs.

Oh so you and the Republicans have no problem with current drug prices? Good to know, next time they bring it up I'll be sure to remind them of their position.

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/11/drug-costs-gop-candidates-prescriptions-216292

Like most righties, you think the repubs are free from blame but are free to blame and complain all while offering no change, for shame. (A little kobe inspiration there)

 

[Darwin333]

It's not partisan, that's the point. You will notice that I didn't try to remove blame from the Democrats. However there is zero reason why the current Republican Congress cannot fix this, Obama certainly isn't opposed to the federal government being able to negotiate. So if the poster isn't holding Republicans responsible (as well as Republican supporters like him) then how exactly does he expect this to get fixed?

Good post, it's nice when at times both parties can say my party sucks on an issue.

The real question is, most Americans are obviously for cheaper prescription drugs on both sides of the aisle. How is it that our politicians continually give big pharma a pass?

 

[Darwin333]

so if companies cant make a profit on selling drugs, why would they invest money in making new ones?

What's the point if we can't afford them?

The OP is pretty close to the truth. US consumers pay the lion share of the R&D on drugs our pharma companies make for the entire world. To make matters worse we are one of the few countries that doesn't negotiate with drug companies.

The right keeps talking about reducing entitlement spending, well guess what here is one way that it can easily be done without having to actually reduce the benefits themselves. It's a win/win in every imaginable way.

 

[senseamp]

This can't go on forever, so it will end, most likely with price controls. Big pharma and their right wing enablers will only have themselves to blame.

 

[senseamp]

Interesting article with charts showing how hosed Americans allow themselves to be by the drug companies:

http://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2015-drug-prices/

In case some here are wondering where your raises went.
We pay more than 4 times as much before "discounts," which not everyone gets, and according to the drug companies we should be very happy when discounts cut that to more than double what other countries pay.

 

[cbrunny]

to be fair, there's a lot more demand in the states due to rampant obesidy, diabetes, STDs, and other such ailments.

Does this factor generic drugs at all, where applicable?

 

[soulcougher73]

I thought everyone already knew this?

 

[Genx87]

This is what a protectionist market looks like.

 

[LightPattern]

One of the (many) goals of the TPP was to address this. I still don't support the TPP.

 

[senseamp]

to be fair, there's a lot more demand in the states due to rampant obesidy, diabetes, STDs, and other such ailments.

Does this factor generic drugs at all, where applicable?

This is for same drugs per pill. So not sure how the demand excuse is supposed to apply. If you have leukemia, you are going to create demand for leukemia drug, if you don't, you won't. Are you saying Americans with leukemia have a higher demand for a cancer drug than Canadians with leukemia, so the drug companies are saying, yeah, we'll just give it to Canadians cheaper since otherwise they'll pick death?

 

[Subyman]

Yeah, demand is a dumb argument. These things fly off the factory line like tit tacs.

Waiting for the people that will come in and say we pay for the world's research, like we should.

 

[senseamp]

Other countries' citizens demand that their governments not let drug companies gouge them. That's the only demand that matters.

 

[WHAMPOM]

In other countries Government serves the people not the Capitalists/Robber Barons.