Kamapua'a wrote:

Well I can say with certainty the drugs from Canada are just as fine as the US ones. I've seen it now with my own eyes. Same brand name, same quality of packaging and everything. That was enough proof for me.

In an article I read about a retired couple that live in Washington near Canada, the author said that they 'used to buy their most expensive drugs in Canada to save money but could no longer do so because the Canadian pharmacies will no longer serve US citizens'.

I am curious if that is a law, policy, or just one pharmacy's doing. I feel that buying directly from Canadian pharmacies is as safe as buying anywhere. But, it sounds like it may not be a viable option anymore.

Anyone with experience on this?

You know... you might be onto something.

Drug companies really are doing nothing more than finding the "proper mix" of elements to make a "good" drug with the "right" effect.

In reality... how much does it truly cost? Are we paying for the research or the product itself ultimately?

Even if the above is exagerated... the point still remains pretty valid.

Jake Spoon wrote:

I am curious if that is a law, policy, or just one pharmacy's doing. I feel that buying directly from Canadian pharmacies is as safe as buying anywhere. But, it sounds like it may not be a viable option anymore.

Canadian pharmacies are not allowed to accept a non-Canadian written prescription AFAIK. My mum's sister was having a tough time of paying for her meds and my mum went to our local pharmacy and was told that the prescription was not valid. My mum then went to her physician and was told that he cannot write a script without seeing the person. This was some ten years ago.

The Canadian government is thinking of passing legislation to restrict the online purchasing of meds for fear that we may end up not having enough for ourselves as they are allocated and the price could rise because of availabilty.

On a similar note, in the 80's and 90's there were packaged tours from the US east coast where people would come here, and for a fee, "borrow " a health card and get medical help that they could not get/afford/steal at home. Guess who payed for that. We finally have pictures on the cards to stop the theft of our resources.

I say to the Americans, please solve your own problems instead of looking to us for aid, you are the richest and most powerful country in the world, why can't you solve this? BTW, my aunt's generic prescription cost $55 US and it was $7 here. This ain't right

EDIT: This is nothing personal against you Jake Spoon, I went on a rant.

That's the problem Augie... down here in the States the people who CAN change it are paid big bucks in the campaign trail NOT to change anything. Until we can get rid of that mess... we're all in a tight spot.

This is an example of a major problem that affects many people who are sick or infirm, and for me this should be at the top of the Political agenda. When there is tacit approval for war and weapons supplies, i cannot see that a fundamental issue such as this which affects many Americans, is not pushed up the political agenda by the electorate.

Those numbers are very interesting... but dont go by the percentages... some of them are way off... they must have been using the "new math"

Anyway, of course you are not paying for the active ingredient. You are paying for the research the packaging the marketing etc...

As well as all the testing that the US makes its companies do before they release a drug on the market...

It would be interesting to see what a pharm companies actual profit percentage is after it finishes paying for everything else.

I just got a petition from "Californians for Affordable Prescriptions' in the mail today, 4.11.05. It's supposed to result in an "average discount will be at least 40% off regular retail prices". There is supposed to be a similar measure in the California Legislature which has Governator's support.

I wonder how effective, if at all, this would be? I've seen a ton of ballot initiatives over the years and it's hard to remember a good one.

Perish the thought, but more and more I feel a single payer health plan, a la Canadienne, might be the answer.

Neuromancer wrote:

Those numbers are very interesting... but dont go by the percentages... some of them are way off... they must have been using the "new math"

I knew the percentages would be questioned, and I spot checked them before posting. I just went back and rechecked all of them and found only one to be incorrect and corrected it.

If you use an HP12C, enter the cost, enter, enter the selling price, press "%T", voila, the percentage. They are high, high, high. For us ordinary mortals, divide the selling price by the cost and multiply by 100 to get the percentage. Doesn't look right, but tis. It's a way to make things look even worse than they are.

If we apply the same rules to oil, for example, it's free, because it's furnished by nature, but say it costs $1 per gallon to get it out of the ground; if a bbl sells for $55(I wish), then the percentage of selling price to cost is 5,500%.

The numbers aren't really fair, anyway, for the cost of any goods is labor, material, overhead, augmented by general and accounting plus marketing and sales costs, plus profits. Don't make me go back and pull out my accounting books, but that's a part of the picture.

At the end of the day, there still isn't any reason on God's green earth that a product of any kind can be exported and bought in the country of exportation at a price advantage over where it was manufactured. What about a factory outlet store for drugs? I mean legal drugs.

Mac33 wrote:

This is an example of a major problem that affects many people who are sick or infirm, and for me this should be at the top of the Political agenda. When there is tacit approval for war and weapons supplies, i cannot see that a fundamental issue such as this which affects many Americans, is not pushed up the political agenda by the electorate.

Now, here is the real issue. It's why the rank and file voters should be able to vote directly. Would I prefer better drug prices to seeing the other side of the moon? Would I prefer them over agrandizing another set of astronauts? Would I prefer them over knowing that a million light years out there lies my ultimate destiny? Get a copy of the latest special appropriations bill and see how many pork barrel projects get piggy backed in while important issues go wanting.

It's not pushed up because the American system is such that many of us may as well have lost our franchise to vote. I, for example, feel that I have no representation, except in name only. That is true in every district where the "opposite" party gets elected. What's hard to understand is that this is not a bipartisan issue. And the congress people in favor of it make things worse rather than better; they are so well off that they cannot empathize with the lower classes and don't know what to do. Except they know how to get elected and skirt term limits.

It's choices, and our ivory tower bureaucrats don't have a clue what's going on down here where the rubber meets the road.

For starters, IMHO, a single payer universal health plan might be a good alternative.

Sometimes I think the very core of ALL the issues... or at least the majority of them that American's argue over is based on money... pure money.

And I'm almost convinced money buys you political positions. How many non-multimillionares have served as President in the last 20 years? How many senators? It has to be a very small handful.

I watch here in SC as only the very cream of the crop go into government... hell, they are the only one's who can afford to.

And then I wonder, "Where'd they get all that money?"

Joe Pharmacey
Hale Burton
Rett Tirement