Costco Pharmacy

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Seacowboys, Apr 22, 2008.


  1. Seacowboys

    Seacowboys Senior Member Founding Member

    This is worth reading. Be sure to read to the end. You will be amazed.
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    Let's hear it for Costco!! (This is just mind-boggling!) Make sure you read all the way past the list of the drugs The woman that signed below is a Budget Analyst out of federal
    Washington , DC offices.
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    Did you ever wonder how much it costs a drug company for the active ingredient in prescription medications? Some people think it must cost a lot, since many drugs sell for more than $2.00 per tablet. We did a search of offshore chemical synthesizers that supply the active ingredients found in drugs approved by the FDA. As we have revealed in past issues of Life Extension, a significant percentage of drugs sold in the United States contain active ingredients made in other countries. In our independent investigation of how much profit drug companies really make, we obtained the actual price of active ingredients used in some of the most popular drugs sold in America
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    The data below speaks for itself.
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    Celebrex: 100 mg
    Consumer price (100 tablets): $130.27
    Cost of general active ingredients: $0.60
    Percent markup: 21,712%

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    Claritin: [/FONT]
    [FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial]10 mg
    Consumer Price (100 tablets): $215.17
    Cost of general active ingredients: $0.71
    Percent markup: 30, 306%
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    Keflex: [/FONT]
    [FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial]250 mg
    Consumer Price (100 tablets): $157.39
    Cost of general active ingredients: $1.88
    Percent markup: 8,372%
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    Lipitor:[/FONT]
    [FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial] 20 mg
    Consumer Price (100 tablets): $272.37
    Cost of general active ingredients: $5.80
    Percent markup: 4,696%
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    Norvasc:[/FONT]
    [FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial] 10 mg
    Consumer price (100 tablets): $188.29
    Cost of general active ingredients: $0.14
    Percent markup: 134,493%
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    Paxil: [/FONT]
    [FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial]20 mg
    Consumer price (100 tablets): $220.27
    Cost of general active ingredients: $7.60
    Percent markup: 2,898%
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    Prevacid:[/FONT]
    [FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial] 30 mg
    Consumer price (100 tablets): $44.77
    Cost of general active ingredients: $1.01
    Percent markup: 34,136%
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    Prilosec[/FONT]
    [FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial] : 20 mg
    Consumer price (100 tablets): $360.97
    Cost of general active ingredients $0.52
    Percent markup: 69,417%
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    Prozac:[/FONT]
    [FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial] 20 mg
    Consumer price (100 tablets) : $247.47
    Cost of general active ingredients: $0.11
    Percent markup: 224,973%
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    Tenormin:[/FONT]
    [FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial] 50 mg
    Consumer price (100 tablets): $104.47
    Cost of general active ingredients: $0.13
    Percent markup: 80,362%
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    Vasotec: [/FONT]
    [FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial]10 mg
    Consumer price (100 tablets): $102.37
    Cost of general active ingredients: $0.20
    Percent markup: 51,185%
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    Xanax: [/FONT]
    [FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial]1 mg
    Consumer price (10 0 tablets) : $136.79
    Cost of general active ingredients: $0.024
    Percent markup: 569,958%
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    Zestril:[/FONT]
    [FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial] 20 mg
    Consumer price (100 tablets) $89.89
    Cost of general active ingredients $3.20
    Percent markup: 2,809
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    Zithromax:[/FONT]
    [FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial] 600 mg
    Consumer price (100 tablets): $1,482.19
    Cost of general active ingredients: $18.78
    Percent markup: 7,892%
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    Zocor:[/FONT]
    [FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial] 40 mg
    Consumer price (100 tablets): $350.27
    Cost of general active ingredients: $8.63
    Percent markup: 4,059%
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    [FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial]Zoloft: 50 mg
    Consumer price: $206.87
    Cost of general active ingredients: $175
    Percent markup: 11,821%
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    Since the cost of prescription drugs is so outrageous, I thought everyone should know about this. Please read the following and pass it o n.
    It pays to shop around. This helps to solve the mystery as to why they can afford to put a Walgreen's on every corner. On Monday night,
    Steve Wilson, an investigative reporter for Channel 7 News in Detroit, did a story on generic drug price gouging by pharmacies. He found in his investigation, that some of these generic drugs were marked up as much as 3,000% or more. Yes, that's not a typo.....three thousand percent! So often, we blame the drug companies for the high cost of drugs, and usually rightfully so. But in this case, the fault clearly lies with the pharmacies themselves. For example, if you had to buy a prescription drug, and bought the name brand, you might pay $100 for 100 pills.[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial]



    [/FONT]
    [FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial]The pharmacist might tell you that if you get the generic equivalent, they would only cost $80, making you think you are 'saving' $20. What
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    [FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial]the pharmacist is not telling you is that those 100 generic pills may have only cost him $10![/FONT]
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    At the end of the report, one of the anchors asked Mr. Wilson whether, or not there were any pharmacies that did not adhere to this practice, and he said that Costco consistently charged little over their cost for the generic drugs.[/FONT]
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    I went to the Costco site, where you can look up any drug, and get its online price. It says that the in-store prices are consistent with the
    online prices. I was appalled. Just to give you one example from my own experience, I had to use the drug, Compazine, which helps prevent nausea in chemo patients.
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    [FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial]I used the generic equivalent, which cost $54.99 for 60 pills at CVS. I checked the price at Costco, and I could have bought 100 pills for $19.89. For 145 of my pain pills, I paid $72.57. I could have got 150 at Costco for $28.08.[/FONT]
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    I would like to mention, that although Costco is a 'membership ' type store, you do NOT have to be a member to buy prescriptions there,
    as it is a federally regulated substance. You just tell them at the door that you wish to use the pharmacy, and they will let you in. (this is
    true)[/FONT]
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    I went there this past Thursday and asked them. I am asking each of you to please help me by copying this letter, and passing it into your own e-mail, and send it to everyone you know with an e-mail address.[/FONT]
    [FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial]
    Sharon L. Davis
    Budget Analyst
    [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial]U.S. Department of Commerce
    Room 6839
    Office Ph: 202-482-4458
    Office Fax: 202-482-5480
    E-mail Address: sdavis@doc.gov
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    [FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, Arial][​IMG] [/FONT]

     
  2. CBMS

    CBMS Looking for a safe place

    Sweet, that is helpful. Thanks SC
     
  3. franks71vw

    franks71vw Monkey+++

    Check out target as well as they will also give you like 10% of after every 10th purchase or soemthing like that. I found the pharmacey at an excellant price.
     
  4. MbRodge

    MbRodge Monkey+++

    Has anyone checked to see if this is true?
     
  5. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    MbR has a good question. Anyone that claims to be working in a federal office that puts something like that out, and wants it spread without citing a source more than self has a questionable motive. While I know that drugs are priced out of line, I also know something of what goes into their development. Those margins are way out of line. (The real margins are too, but not nearly as much.) Zumzing ees steenky, 'ere.
     
  6. MbRodge

    MbRodge Monkey+++

    From what I've found those are relatively accurate prices for solely the active ingredients. The industry still has to research and develop the drugs, pay for testing, and submit them to the FDA for approval and further testing, then they have to market and distribute the finished medications. However, I'm not convinced that those prices even after all of the above costs represent a reasonable profit margin, they still seem too high to me, but I haven't seen any figures on the actual costs of development and such so I'm only going on gut feeling.
     
  7. Blackjack

    Blackjack Monkey+++

    Here's the hook........ NO THEY DON"T!.... WE DO

    Most of the money they use for R&D is OUR money, that the gov gives them, and OUR research, done by universities. Then the pharm company pays the university and then charges us crazy prices for the finished product that we paid for in the first place. This doesn't even resemble a "free market economy".

    Watch the extras on the dvd: "Sicko"

    It's NUTS what these corporate bastards are getting away with!
     
  8. Clyde

    Clyde Jet Set Tourer Administrator Founding Member

    So that is why I can get all the great deals on Viagra and Cialis on line!
     
  9. Seacowboys

    Seacowboys Senior Member Founding Member

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  10. MbRodge

    MbRodge Monkey+++

    Thanks for the post Blackjack, like I said, I wasn't too sure on those "extra" costs. I would sure love to see the amount of money we give those people listed dollar by dollar!
     
  11. E.L.

    E.L. Moderator of Lead Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    You may very well be right, but be careful about using Michael Moore for a reference on anything. He has been know to never let the truth get in the way of a good story.
     
  12. Blackjack

    Blackjack Monkey+++

    I am cautious about him..... this didn't come from Moore, this is straight out of the mouth of the lady that used to run the FDA.


    MBR..... If we saw how much we really give those thieving pieces of crap.... well, we'd be sick (pun intended). I'm sure it's a disgusting amount.


    Here.... You give me $1,000, I'll take that money, develop a drug you need and then charge you so much for it that you'll go bankrupt.... or you'll die because you can't afford it.

    It's criminal, it's obscene. I don't have the appropriate words to describe the scum that is big pharma.


    And this is the kind of "free market capitalism" that everyone is so hyped on defending!
     
  13. CRC

    CRC Survivor of Tidal Waves | RIP 7-24-2015 Moderator Emeritus Founding Member

    Just my 2 cents..

    I had an Rx that I had to take regularly....It was $79 at CVS in town...and the same drug, same generic pill, was $28.79 at CostCo in Jax.....I priced it all over, and they did have the best prices....Target was close as well...

    When I had really crummy insurance, I shopped around and still do...just because....

    And not all generics are equal...ask any pharmacist.
     
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