Purchasing from Your Physician Could Cost Big Bucks

A new article published in the New York Times is shining light on another extra expense you may be subjected to.

Purchasing your medications directly from your physician means you could pay almost 10 times as much. The article uses Zantac as a clear example.  If the patient takes the prescription to their local pharmacy they will pay on average 35 cents per pill. If the same patient purchases the drug from their physician the cost skyrockets to $3.24 a pill. This cost is forwarded onto insurance companies.

Barry Meier and Katie Thomas report that “experts say that doctors, middlemen and drug distributors are adding hundreds of millions of dollars annually to the costs borne by taxpayers, insurance companies and employers through the practice of physician dispensing.”

Much more information can be found in the original article and we encourage you to stay informed.

Have you been given the option to purchase medications from your doctor’s office? Did you notice a mark-up?

 

Fines Heavy for “Off Label” Promotion

Monday, July 2nd saw the largest recorded fine for health care fraud in the United States.

In an article by ProPublica, it is reported that GlaxoSmithKline agreed to pay a $3 billion fine for promoting some drugs for their “off label” uses. GSK is not the first company to be charged with off label fraud (see more in the original article) but this most recent fine is making headlines. A statement by the US Department of Justice reads as follows:

“Global health care giant GlaxoSmithKline LLC (GSK) agreed to plead guilty and to pay $3 billion to resolve its criminal and civil liability arising from the company’s unlawful promotion of certain prescription drugs, its failure to report certain safety data, and its civil liability for alleged false price reporting practices, the Justice Department announced today.”

The fine is a result of marketing the drugs Paxil, Wellbutrin, and Avandia for uses unapproved by the FDA.

Have you been prescribed or told about alternate uses for common medications?

USA Will Import Cancer Drug From India

According to the AFP, the United States is solving a shortage of a drug used to treat various types of cancer by importing a comparable drug from India.

The Food and Drug Administration has worked out a temporary deal with India-based Sun Pharma Global FZE  to get US patients Lipodox. In a statement released by the FDA, “Lipodox will be imported as an alternative to Doxil” which is used to treat ovarian, bone marrow, and AIDS-related skin cancers.

The article also states “prescription drug shortages in the United States nearly tripled from 2005 to 2010, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.” These shortage problems have partially been addressed by an executive order signed by President Obama in late 2011 to “strengthen the FDA’s power to predict and tackle potential shortages of prescription drugs and to halt illegal price gouging of life-saving medicines during supply shortfalls.”

Have you experienced any shortage problems with your medications? What was the remedy advised by your doctor?

Pfizer Birth Control Recall

An error in the packaging of birth control has led to  a major recall by Pfizer. CNN reports that over 1 million packets may not prevent pregnancies because the order of the pills is not correct. The recall list states that the problem is with  its Lo/Ovral-28 brand tablets, and generic-brands Norgestrel and Ethinyl Estradiol tablets distributed under the Akrimax Rx Products name.

To see a complete list of the packets recalled please visit Pfizer’s website.

Taking Your Medications as Prescribed Not Only Saves Your Health, But Your Wallet Too

A new article appeared today in the Chicago Tribune to help remind patients  that taking their medicines as scheduled will not only help with the illnesses they are prescribed for, but can also help keep money in your wallet.

In a study referenced in the article, it is believed $290 billion was spent by the US in healthcare that could have been prevented had medicines been taken on schedule. Missing doses or stopping medications can have serious unintended effects. Aside from unnecessary hospital stays other problems can include: viruses and bacteria becoming resistant to anti-biotics, unintended pregnancies for patients on birth control, and those who skip blood pressure or diabetes medications can even suffer a stroke or death.

The National Consumer’s League has started the Script Your Future campaign which encourages everyone to sign an online petition making their pledge to maintain their prescriptions.

Use these tips to help remember your medications:

• Set a daily alarm to remind you
• Look into low cost or generic alternatives if cost is a problem
• Don’t be afraid to ask your doctor or pharmacist questions if side-effects are a concern
• Get a pillbox and fill it with your daily prescriptions so you know if you have taken your daily dose

What do you find is the biggest obstacle to taking your medications as prescribed?

New Scam for Mail-Order Pharmacy Customers

In the latest scam to affect those using mail-order pharmacies, a select group of people have begun posing as DEA agents showing up on doorsteps and demanding fines.  An article by AARP reports that as many as 2000 people have also received phone calls from callers hiding under the same disguise and demanding payment information over the phone. Charges demanded have ranged from $100 – $250,000.

While there are many illegal online drug sales programs, many are not and the “fine” is unsubstantiated.

So how can a legitimate customer protect themselves? The first is to look for clues that this is a scam. A red flag is how they are asking for payment. Many of these scammers demand money be sent to the Dominican Republic via wire transfer. Also, the federal government does not deploy agents to collect money in person.

If you suspect you have been a victim of this scam or received any phone calls similar to the ones reported, you can call the DEA’s toll-free line at 1-877-792-2873 to address any concerns.

GlaxoSmithKline Accuse of Selling Tainted Product; Settles for $750 Million

The big news in the pharmaceutical world this week is GlaxoSmithKline’s $750 million settlement for selling tainted products.  I first heard about it from the New York Times.  It especially touched a nerve for me, because working in the customer service department of ProgressiveRX, I talk with a lot of people who are nervous about ordering medications that were manufactured in India.

It’s kind of scary when we see these stories in the news.  Most media outlets spend a lot of time trying to convince consumers that the only way to obtain safe medications is through purchasing brand names or approved generics via your local pharmacy.  On the other hand, we’ll get the occasional stories about a brand-name manufacturer having to pay millions of dollars in fines to the FDA for some violation or another (check out the NY Time’s side graphic of the largest settlements between drug makers and the government).

What do stories like this bring up for you?  Do they make you more distrustful of the message that only brand names are safe to consume, or do they make you more nervous about purchasing medications in general, from any source?

India Taking on Mainstream Role in Drug Industry

The New York Times has published a new article profiling the new market of well-made medications in India.

Anyone can find many articles and instances of cheap or fraudulent prescription drugs making it to patients in the USA. Recently India has made strides to improve their patent laws and the quality-control of the medications being produced in the country. Large pharmaceutical companies have begun to buy up smaller operations which has India “on track to grow about 13 percent this year, to just over $24 billion” according to the article.  They report Glaxo-Smith Kline, Pfizer and  Bristol-Myers are all operating in the middle east country.

Cheaper production of medications passes on to patients as more money in their wallets. In Heather Timmons’ article she quotes  Jim Worrell, the chief executive of Pharma Services Network, as saying “There is a lot of good talent at a much lower price in India.” All plants that are producing drugs for the USA are still held to FDA standards in order to supply American patients with medications.

How do you feel about drugs manufactured or outsourced to other countries?