example of how we get ripped off

[poonwhalla]

This is worth reading. Be sure to read to the
> > > end. You will be amazed.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > COSTCO, read this
> > > Let's hear it for Costco!! (This is just
> > > mind-boggling!) Make sure you read all the way past
> > > the list of the drugs The woman that signed below is
> > > a Budget Analyst out of federal
> > > Washington , DC offices.
> > >
> > > 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,&nb! sp;
> > > 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 generic! al active ingredients: $0.60
> > > Percent markup: 21,712 %
> > >
> > >
> > > Claritin: 10 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
> > > Cost of general 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 ingredient s: $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 federally regulated substance. You just
> > > tell them at the door that you wish to use the
> > > pharmacy, and they will let you in. (this is
> > > true)
>

[ZodiacKiller]

Wow, I'm speechless. I wish we had CostCo here. We do have Sam's Club (owned by Walmart) and I;ve heard they have some of the lowest RX prices. I'm gonna look into it and I'll post my results.

This post blew my mind...what a fucking eye-opener. Greedy bastards.

ZodiacKiller

[caesee]

the mark up is a bitch, but dont forget the product del. charges, testing, fda approvel, ect...there is a lot of costs for the drug

[Opiyum]

the mark up is a bitch, but dont forget the product del. charges, testing, fda approvel, ect...there is a lot of costs for the drug

Do taxes in anyway pay for those things? It seems to me that something like "research for the greater good" would be something that the Govt. would have a vested interest in. You scratch my back I'll scratch yours.
So they take our money for research and development.
Then use our money to produce, market and advertise it.
Then they rape us at the register.
Lastly when you develope and immunity and/or tolerance to the drug they give you three new expensive pills that just came onto the market thanks to their infallable research and developement teams.

This is either true or I'm irritated right now.

[blackdog]

237239ZODIAC costco/priceclub are the same so one or the other should be by you.
238
POONWALLA what i want to know is if you have to join to use the bathroom.you know what a comfortable toilet is worth to us kinds of peeps wink-wink nudge-nudge:rolleyes: :rolleyes: peace da/dawgg

keep in touch with yerselves da/dawgg:cool:

[Coddfish]

Do taxes in anyway pay for those things? It seems to me that something like "research for the greater good" would be something that the Govt. would have a vested interest in. You scratch my back I'll scratch yours.
So they take our money for research and development.
Then use our money to produce, market and advertise it.
Then they rape us at the register.
Lastly when you develope and immunity and/or tolerance to the drug they give you three new expensive pills that just came onto the market thanks to their infallable research and developement teams.

This is either true or I'm irritated right now.Corporate welfare, brother. It's the way this country works. My dad used to work in research for the usda. The gov't spends hundreds of millions developing some vaccine or test and then hands it over to an f'n greedy company to produce and sell it--usually the biggest and 'best'-- making whatever the fuck they want on it. Stuff that we the f'n people should have proprietary rights over, we pay through the nose to get, one way or another. One way this country blows.

[Kallie]

Thanks Poon! That's nice info to have.

[poonwhalla]

Blackdogg just tell them you need to get your script filled then duck off into the bathroom!!!

[HistoryofMadness]

the mark up is a bitch, but dont forget the product del. charges, testing, fda approvel, ect...there is a lot of costs for the drug
Right caesee anyone who thinks you can take the cost of raw materials and divide into the retail price and get the profit margin / markup has never been involved in any business endeavor.

Any business owners want to comment?

I agree that pharmies are way too expensive and the companies are robbing people blind.

But this info is completely worthless, not to mention being misleading and reeking of propaganda.

Sorry poonwhalla, no offense, but this is BAD information.

-H

--edit-- I forgot to mention supply and demand too. If we didn't pay it they couldn't charge it. Call your representative and speak up for insurance / pharmy reform if you really care.

[Opiyum]

Right caesee anyone who thinks you can take the cost of raw materials and divide into the retail price and get the profit margin / markup has never been involved in any business endeavor.

Any business owners want to comment?

I agree that pharmies are way too expensive and the companies are robbing people blind.

But this info is completely worthless, not to mention being misleading and reeking of propaganda.

Sorry poonwhalla, no offense, but this is BAD information.

-H

--edit-- I forgot to mention supply and demand too. If we didn't pay it they couldn't charge it. Call your representative and speak up for insurance / pharmy reform if you really care.

I dont understand how providing information on where to obtain the cheapest drugs is bad.

Cheap + Drugs = good

Although those bastards at Costco called the cops on us while dumpster diving. Before asking us to leave.

We just wanted some fucking cinnamon raisin bagels!

[skeletontea]

the mark up is a bitch, but dont forget the product del. charges, testing, fda approvel, ect...there is a lot of costs for the drug

Research and development is definitely a major part of the cost. In addition to attorney services, and other legal fees (you can't turn on the television without seeing something like "Does your medication have side-effects? Want to sue the company over it?").

I can also think of graphic design, advertising, employee wages, pension, and healthcare. Machine production, and maintenance (though that cost would be comparatively small). Nonetheless, they run a monopoly, and they know it. We should be paying less for our medication, but not as little as that manipulative e-mail would imply.

[Paregoric Kid]

they aren't really robbing people blind because of things like skeletontea mentioned. also, they have every right to make a profit, that is their obligation to their stockholders. if you don't want to take their medicine you don't have to buy it. you can also thank the FDA for making the cost of medicine excessive.

[opiobsessed]

Although those bastards at Costco called the cops on us while dumpster diving. Before asking us to leave.


You should teach those heartless fucking scum a lesson and torch the dumpster, if you got charged, by the way its not illegal to take something from the trash once its been put out for the trash. I feel sorry for you if you went through shit for something that's not illegal. If shit like this happened to me I would take it to the supreme court if I had to just to get a point across. I've been the innocent victim of the big peice of shit taking advantage of the innocent little guy just trying to get somewhere in life way too many times and I could stand on my soapbox all night about how fucking enraged I am at the filthy rich scum in this country who deserve to have their graves pissed on when they finally croak, and their wealth comes to nothing in the end as they burn in hell. Fuck off scum white collar filthy rich trash.

[Opiyum]

Im pretty sure it is illegal in Ohio to Dive...I remember asking the same question cause I've never heard of it being illegal here. I guess they could get sued if someone hurt themselves diggin' for goodies.
There were some places, Trader Jacks inpeticular,that put the edible good stuff in seperate bags for us to just grab and through in the truck. produce in one bread in another I always thought that was something that should be common place cause we would always have more than we needed and we would give it to the homeless.
Even dumpster divers give charity...

[paperrabbit]

even if it was legal to dumpster dive in some areas, you could get nabbed for being on private property or whatever else they want to throw at you.

I thought this was an interesting post, I didn't realize Costco's prices were so dramatically lower than other places. And you'd be amazed how many people choose not to look into things like this (learning pretty much anything about their scripts), the simple concept of generics being cheaper than brand name is something a surprising amount of people don't comprehend. They will come into the pharmacy demanding brand name even if they have to pay out the ass because their insurance will not fully cover it, or they will just give the techs hell...(i guess the marketing is working then)

[Coddfish]

they aren't really robbing people blind because of things like skeletontea mentioned. also, they have every right to make a profit, that is their obligation to their stockholders. if you don't want to take their medicine you don't have to buy it. you can also thank the FDA for making the cost of medicine excessive.I like most of what you write, pk, but that's actually pretty lame. Tell my cancer patient mother-in-law that to her face. Drug companies have the highest profits around. FDA doesn't tell them to do that.

[ZodiacKiller]

I'll just say this about the big drug companies that manufacture CII/CIII drugs; Purdue Pharma for example:

Does anyone think even for a minute that a company like this isn't aware of the all the black-market millions being made via illegal diversion of their products? And that such diversion results in more demand for their product (in addition to the millions of scripts written legally), ultimately making said drug company even more profit?

I wouldn't be surprised if behind closed doors (and of course never on paper) that this illegal diversion profit isn't factored into their overall projected returns. Oh, sure, they put up a good front, with a fancy website about the perils of addiction and whatnot, work with the DEA, etc... but as the demand for recreational OxyContin (as an example) continues to rise, Purdue is gonna make more money, and you can't tell me the fat cats there don't know it. It's all about the rich gettin' richer, folks...

[Paregoric Kid]

what do you think the FDA does! the FDA controls drugs, how they are made, how they are approved, how they can be sold, how they can be advertised, don't tell me they don't tell the pharm. industry what to do because that is their job. all of those regulations cost them money which costs the consumer money. they are the reason some life saving drugs take years before they get on the market. the FDA is one giant piece of bureacratic garbage that needs to be destroyed.

[blackdog]

suppossedly the carting company has the ownership of all garbage and its considered their propertie by contract with the stores.just another gimmeck for the pigman to throw r way when they want to bust big balls. all the other crimes being committed and they think their saving mankind by stopping us from a bagel or a dirty pair of socks. fuck i hate when that happens!! now i gotta go and git right. tata:cool:

[poonwhalla]

just an update on this costco info. I saw a thing 2 nights ago on ABC where they went to 7 local pharmacies and found costco was the cheapest place so I don't feel its propaganda HOM more of just a supply and demand thing kind of like why you buy anything in bulk. Rite ade was most expensive for most drugs.

[HistoryofMadness]

just an update on this costco info. I saw a thing 2 nights ago on ABC where they went to 7 local pharmacies and found costco was the cheapest place so I don't feel its propaganda HOM more of just a supply and demand thing kind of like why you buy anything in bulk. Rite ade was most expensive for most drugs.
Hey PW I meant to come back to this long ago but totally forgot... I had a run a few weeks ago apparently I was posting after taking Lunesta. That shit made me an aggressive know-it-all asshole. I have a slight memory of reading the numbers at the very beginning of the post and then writing something.

Later I read what I had written and felt like an ass. That was the night, I think, when I forgot I had taken a pill (lunesta), and took another, and then later forgot again and took another. Fuckin' stupid...

FYI I quit that shit, and am now back to being a nicer, calmer insomniac.

But you are right. Costos is cheaper and I was getting reamed by CVS, and it was actually this post that has allowed me to save $ on my other med. Talk about feeling like a jackass. :o

-H

[poonwhalla]

its cool mang. I just got the the back up info on it so I wanted to share that info. For some odd reason my aunt sent me that info. The same aunt who in the 70's flushed 200 windowpains down the toilet that belonged to her brother. another words she is a pretty straight laced women.