Prescription Drugs Are About To Get Whole A Lot Cheaper In 2012

[FarCenter]

Many Americans are soon going to find prescription medications making less of a dent in their wallets, with 19 brand-name drugs losing patent protection this year or next, and more than two dozen others by 2015.

Before long, "eight out of 10 prescriptions can be filled with a generic," notes Steve Miller, chief medical officer for Express Scripts, a pharmacy benefit management company in St. Louis.

http://www.businessinsider.com/prescription-drugs-are-about-to-get-whole-a-lot-cheaper-for-you-in-2012-2011-12

[tridim]

1. I wish the same would apply to veterinary medications.

My epileptic dog's medication just went up 400% for no reason.

It's medication that has been used for 150 years. Medication that when used as a chemical in photo processing costs about 1/100th as much.

[FarCenter]

2. The photo grade chemical is >99% pure; you might want to find out whether the impurities matter

If they are other metal halides, the may not make a difference.

Alternatively, there seem to be a lot of different on-line vet supply stores selling the product. So you might save by shopping around.

[tridim]

3. It's Potassium Bromide, I found out about the photo chemical price looking for alternatives.

The drug went up in price everywhere, online and off.

If I had a license I could compound my own for dirt cheap, but I don't so I have to pay the extortion fee. The vet said most "lifetime" drugs went up in price at the same time. It's not a coincidence, it's good ol' everyday corporate greed.

[FarCenter]

5. The sources of potassium bromide appear to be in India and China

It is probably not made in the US.

[spanone]

4. Lipitor

my pharmacist told me about this and said it should be criminal....maybe it is?

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Senators Question Pfizer Lipitor Deals, Ranbaxy Gets FDA Approval for Generic Version


Three U.S. senators are raising questions with Pfizer (NYSE: PFE ) over its deal making for its megablockbuster cholesterol drug Lipitor as generic drug makers step up to market the drug, most recently Ranbaxy Laboratories, an India-based generic drug developer.

Max Baucus (D-Montana), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Herb Kohl (D-Wisconsin) are concerned that Pfizer's deals with pharmacy benefit managers will undermine the sale of generic versions of Lipitor. Their letters request that the company, benefit managers and insurance companies provide copies of the Lipitor agreements, documents and communications pertaining to the agreements and presentations describing the agreements no later than Dec. 21, according to Seeking Alpha.

Baucus said it wanted to protect taxpayer dollars and access to medicines.

Among Pfizer's efforts are offering patients $4 co-pay cards for Lipitor at a local participating pharmacy or direct delivery of their prescription, an effort it is promoting through physician practices, advertising and through the website, www.LipitorForYou.com.

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2011/12/06/senators-question-pfizer-lipitor-deals-ranbaxy-get.aspx