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Re: samples

Posted by RN320 on January 12, 2007, at 14:17:50

In reply to Re: samples, posted by laima on January 8, 2007, at 10:48:18

The reason that there are no generic drug samples available, is because the generic houses aren't trying to get your business. They market strictly to pharmacies, hospitals and drug supply houses that supply to institutions and pharmacies too. They function on a low cost/hi volume margin. They make their money though this, and the fact that they didn't have to do the research and development and all that's required to get a drug approved through the FDA. Even though I feel that pharmaceutical companies are making outrageous profits at the expense of ordinary people (and what insurance companies have to pay them) they take in mind the following when they price their drugs:
1. Cost of R & D
2. The length of their patent
3. The potential volume that they can predict
4. What comparable products from other manufacturers are priced at.

As Mental Health patients, we are consdiered a "niche" market, and some products (like my EMSAM) are remote niche markets. So that's why our brand name drugs cost so much more than others. The number of people with high cholesterol, diabetes, hypertension etc are gigantic numbers compared to our population, plus we have subsets that make us more of a niche (depression, bi-polar, schizo, etc.) The more specific you get, the higher the price. Also, some of these pharmaceutical companies use the excuse that their prices are so high because their patent life is short (like EMSAM only has 3 years, and they claim that the $500 a month price is to recoup their costs and make a profit within 3 years before some generic house comes and picks up the patent.) I think that this is largely a crock of bs because the really remote drugs like the MAOIs aren't really at risk for generic houses to want to sell. If you look at Marplan andd Nardil- they've been around for decades now and NO ONE has made generics. Last July, Parnate went generic, but I'm told that the actual price difference is only $7-10 cheaper! A generic house would have to price this drug higher because they'll never be able to sell a volume to where they can make it really cheaper for anyone to want to buy. I bet that this generic house won't be making this mistake again soon!

Don't mean to drone on, but that's my take on it. I'm an RN and I was in the medical manufacturering industry for >15 years.
Best wishes./m


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Psycho-Babble Medication | Framed

poster:RN320 thread:719688
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070107/msgs/721696.html