The influential progressive Vermont senator is outraged on the very excessive price of medication in comparison with the United Kingdom and Canada.
Bernie Sanders is indignant.
The influential progressive senator from Vermont is exasperated that drug costs have remained excessive regardless of a consensus in Congress that one thing is urgently wanted to alter the scenario.
Sanders, who has usually focused pharmaceutical firms for his or her pricing coverage up to now, has simply seized a golden alternative to as soon as once more denounce the worth of medication whose payments are ruining many American households.
He posted on Twitter on Feb. 8 a message evaluating the worth of eight medicine within the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. The seven medicine chosen take care of bronchial asthma, diabetes, despair, nasal allergy symptoms and contraception.
These are Advair Diskus (bronchial asthma), Lantus Solostar (diabetes), Flovent (bronchial asthma), Nasonex (nasal allergy symptoms), Humalog (insulin), Nuvaring (contraception) and Abilify (psychosis, despair).
‘You’re Sick And Tired of Getting Ripped Off’
Listed costs present that on common the worth of those medicine is usually 5 occasions increased within the US in comparison with the UK. Advair Diskus prices for instance $1,277 within the United States and solely the equal of $217 within the United Kingdom. An asthmatic American utilizing the remedy thus pays practically six occasions greater than an English affected person. Lantus Solostar is value $1,186 within the US and solely the equal of $186 within the UK. The US worth is greater than six occasions what is obtainable within the UK.
The comparability with Canada additionally exhibits an enormous distinction between drug costs within the two neighbors. The worth of Humalog is nearly 25 occasions dearer within the United States in comparison with Canada. The remedy prices $297 for an American affected person and solely $12 for a Canadian affected person. The worth of Abilify for despair is $5 in Canada and $35 U.S. {dollars} within the United States, which is 7 occasions dearer.
This worth disparity enrages Sanders who accompanies his publish with this message:
“Here’s something you won’t hear about in the mainstream media: we are not that divided as a country,” the lawmaker wrote on Feb. 8. “Whether you are progressive, conservative, or independent, you’re sick and tired of getting ripped off and paying the highest prices on the planet for prescription drugs.”
Five days after this indignant message, billionaire Mark Cuban has simply replied to him. His reply means that he shares Sanders’ opinion, however he takes the chance to inform the highly effective senator that he has co-founded, in 2022, a platform that now makes it potential to acquire medicine at low costs. This platform is the net pharmacy CostPlus Drug Company. It is the one considered one of his companies that bears his identify. The actual identify is Mark Cuban CostPlus Drug Company.
The Dallas Mavericks proprietor factors out to Sanders that his on-line pharmacy gives many of the medicine he has taken to extolling his anger at very low costs. Fluticasone-Salmeterol (Generic for Advair Diskus) is barely priced at $60.50, based on the net pharmacy. The worth of Mometasone Furoate (Generic for Nasonex) is $29.22 on CostPlus Drug Company, whereas the price of Aripiprazole (Generic for Abilify) is barely $6.
‘You Just Have to Know Where to Look’
To sum up, Cuban’s on-line pharmacy gives even decrease costs for sure medicine than these discovered within the UK and Canada. On the opposite hand, there is no such thing as a comparability with the costs charged by typical pharmacies within the United States.
“So prices can be lower here in the USA. You just have to know where to look !” the billionaire stated on Feb. 13.
Sanders had but to reply as of this writing.
Congress has tried, unsuccessfully, to pen a regulation to carry down drug costs.
U.S. well being care spending grew 2.7% in 2021, reaching $4.3 trillion or $12,914 per particular person, based on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). As a share of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product, well being spending amounted to 18.3%. Despite a recurring debate and a will, for a number of years, to restrict the prices, well being care bills and medicines costs proceed to soar.
For slightly over a 12 months, Cuban has launched into the mission and ambition of decreasing drug costs. CostPlus Drug Company “fills and delivers prescriptions at cost plus a fixed 15% margin,” the corporate says on its web site.
Cuban is ready to present these costs as a result of there is not any middleperson. CostPlus Drug Company bypasses health-insurers and negotiates immediately with drug producers.
“In 2020 alone, Medicare could have spent $3.6 billion less on generic acid-reflux, cancer and other drugs if purchased through Cost Plus Drug Company, a new online pharmacy backed by Mark Cuban,” discovered a examine from Harvard Medical School researchers.
The firm’s enterprise mannequin can also be helpful for well being insurers, together with Medicare, which spent an estimated $115.6 billion on prescribed drugs final 12 months, or practically a 3rd of the entire U.S. drug spending, the examine added.
Source: www.thestreet.com”