Bill, I read the entire post and had a similar experience, but with a different explanation. A friend had kids and he had no prescription plan so he and I would trek to Mexico (not a long trip for us in Texas) and load up on the main drugs that doctors often prescribe for kids. We called it our semi-annual “Drug Run” . I was having back trouble but was feeling fine until I had made the drive to Mexico without my anti-inflammatory medication. Simple enough just buy some. So I did. Then I was shocked at the cost, it was just a fraction of the cost and it was the SAME medication, SAME company, SAME box, SAME everything as I buy at a local pharmacy! These were NOT Mexican drugs, they were American drugs sold in Mexico. I am a long time personal friend with two drug representatives. I couldn’t wait to get back home and voice my complaint.

I asked one and he explained it to me, later I asked the other one to see if the first one was shooting me a line. His explanation matched and made sense. In this country we are allowed to sue a company for millions and millions if just a few people suffer ill effects of a drug, or sometimes when the drug is misused or even abused. The drug company must pay out this money. Where does this money come from? They don’t print it, so they must raise the prices to pay these huge lawsuits OR go out of business. Lawyers know that class action suits can make them filthy rich so you regulary see ads on TV with lawyers looking for ‘victims’ of this drug or that drug. PhenPhen and Ridux are the current targets the scavengers are after. If you did not know if you suffered any side effects the lawyers are happy to let you know that you did. After all they are “helping you” to make them rich. We are so sue happy in this country we have made EVERYTHING more costly. That’s one reason companies want to go to 3rd world countries, BUT that’s not the ONLY reason, just one of many. So the reason drugs cost more is:

But you say the local drug stores jack up the price too? Let’s see why. Didn’t the insurance company just a few years back push for ‘mail-in-prescriptions’ to a central pharmacy? That was like cutting the local pharmacy’s throat. They had to start selling MORE non-drug items and jack up prices to pay the light bill. Walgreens looks more like a grocery store than a drug store. They are in competition with the insurance companies’ selected central pharmacies. IF they are making so much money off drugs then more and more companies will flood the market and drive down prices. That is until we sue the manufacturer again for billions.

If this gets too bad drug companies will fold up (many, many have already) then the choices will be easy AND cheap…. NOTHING! Live with your problem.

I am usually not a defender of Corporate America, but they are just in this case. IMO