NationStates Jolt Archive

Can anyone comment about the price of US pharmaceticals and if they are really as high as Australians have been told. US citizens go to Canada to buy drugs because they are cheaper. I'm asking this because it looks like Howard government is going to have it's way to ratify the US FTA between the US and Australia "in the national interest". In the US FTA, the drug companies have planted the seeds of destruction for our model national drug pricing system, the PBA.

The PBA bases it's pricing on cost effectiveness and not the US drug companies do not like this way of assessing drug prices. Australian drugs are subsidised and we pay far less than the US. Of course, this is going to change now.

Looks like we got sold out by our government! :mad:

See, what i think is better is that, the WTO (or someone through them) is going/wants to sue the Canadian government for having public health care.

Apparently it goes against some agreements about having free markets.

If this isnt a reason to destroy the WTO, what is?

(lol, maybe them suing the Canadian Government because we were selling our lumber too cheep)

Can anyone comment about the price of US pharmaceticals and if they are really as high as Australians have been told.

ok, on topic this time, yes, drug prices in the states are horrendous. Its a free market, so people are making profit off of you getting sick.

Such a necessary comodity mixed with personal greed and the necessity to make a profit. Makes for a great and equal health care system.

Let me provide you with an example of the differences in price.

Amoxicillin in my state costs $48.00 for 10 pills. After my insurance picks up, I pay $15.00. Those same 10 pills in Canada would cost me $11.00.

My brother gets a 6 month supply of his medicine in Canada for the same price that he would pay for 1 month here.

There are dozens of websites that will show you the difference in price for the most common prescription medicines....its a nightmare.

The drug companies claim they need to charge so much for their R&D costs, but all their R&D consists of buying patents from universities who do the real R&D. 100's of millions is poured to marketing and lobbying pollies (cough corruption). No wonder the 3rd world can't afford drugs to heal their sick.

The Howard government claims the PBS will not be affected but US FTA is just the start to the US drug companies driving up prices. The thing about some of these drugs is a lot are not very safe with some very nasty side effects.

There is some truth in the fact that pharmaceutical companies do an awful lot of R&D. If this were the case for their high prices, I would be happy to oblige by paying them. However, this doesn't justify their rationale for charging Americans such high prices.

Check the budgets of these companies and you'll see the expenditures for marketing and advertising far exceeds their R&D costs. Another problem I have is that the bulk of R&D money goes into "niche market needs." Viagra, Levitra, and the like receive far more money than a medicine that would be used to treat Cancer. Granted, as a private company, they have every right to design whatever medicines they want. But as a consumer, I should have every right to purchase my medicines wherever I would chose to do so.

Though to be fair Canada pays a MUCH higher percentage taxes … they make up most of the cost there

For example
22% Federal (for abouve 36 k but below 60 something)

Then a varying degree depending on the territory that you are in … (looks roughly 5 – 11 percent) but they are additive (and look to add up really quickly)

And that’s just income tax and such …

The money comes from somewhere … the cheep prices that people from the us getting paid for (a big chunk of it anyways) by the Canadian people
No doubt the prices are inflated in the US but a lot of Canada’s medical system soaks up the “cheap
” prices

Though to be fair Canada pays a MUCH higher percentage taxes … they make up most of the cost there


achually, most of our tax dollars in the health care sector go toward our universal health system, and not perscriptions

besides, #1 cause of personal bankruptcy in the US of freaking A? hospital bills.


Thank you high taxes

Drugs should be price to be "affordable" so anyone can them at prices where producer and consumer are happy. With the US, the drug industry is a oligopoly which means a few big companies run riot with few prices controls.

I feel for the 3rd world as the prices charged in the US should not be applied to them as they don't have the money. Some 3rd world nations are making their own drugs from expired patents which has proven mich cheaper.