The wide variation in the cost of some generic medications:
As predicted, the price that many insurers pay for generic Zocor has dropped dramatically. But the price that pharmacies charge patients who pay cash remains high in many locations, with wide variations by vendor. At online pharmacy walgreens.com, for instance, the price for 30 tablets of a 20-milligram dose of Merck & Co.’s Zocor is $149.99, compared with $89.99 for simvastatin, the generic version. And last week, the same dose of simvastatin cost $108.99 at CVS’s Web site, compared with $154.99 for Zocor. After a call from a reporter, CVS said it would drop its simvastatin price to $79.99, as part of an “ongoing price analysis.”
The moral? Shop carefully.
Related posts:
- Cheap generics
- A blow to generics?
- How pharmaceuticals are maximizing profits in anticipation of competition from generics
- The fight against generics
- Music to Lipitor’s ears
- Should docs be paid for switching patients to generics?
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{ 4 comments }
Is that for one month supply? I’m in the Uk and a packet of 28 tablets either 10mg,20mg or 40mg is under £1 (approx 2 USD)
Quite a difference.
“Is that for one month supply? I’m in the Uk and a packet of 28 tablets either 10mg,20mg or 40mg is under £1 (approx 2 USD)
Quite a difference.”
That’s because your government is pickup up the rest of the tab, obviously.
And yes, there is a huge variance in how much drugs cost from chain-to-chain. It’s been my experience that CVS is more expensive than anyone else, for most things.
“That’s because your government is pickup up the rest of the tab, obviously.”
“..your government”? Har-de-har! Straight from the pockets of every Tom, Dick and Harry drawing wages, you mean!
No, that price is the price from the wholesaler. Rx charges are approx $15 per item if the patient pays. I guess the generic manufacturers aren’t “allowed” to charge any more for the generics.
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