I like the (legal) drugs...
...and the (legal) drugs like me!
One of the many reasons I am happy today is that my favorite allergy medicine, Zyrtec, is now available over the counter!
No more having to schedule a Dr. appointment to get a refill when my previous scrip runs out, and even more importantly, no more having to pay $81 for a 30-day supply because my insurance doesn't cover it!
It just goes to show how screwy the drug industry is... why would the same strength of the same medication cost more than double (Zyrtec now retails for about $24 for the amount I get) just because you have to have a doc's note to get it? To answer my own question, it's because of the patent... which, on Zyrtec, didn't expire until this past Christmas Day. But even so, if the manufacturer (and the retailer) can make enough money selling the drug OTC for $24, why do they feel the need to charge $80 (or set the wholesale price so high that the pharmacy feels the need to sell it for $80) when it's prescription-only?
I won't harangue about corporate greed or the screwiness of this country's healthcare system... but thank God(dess) that things are set up so drug patents do expire.
One of the many reasons I am happy today is that my favorite allergy medicine, Zyrtec, is now available over the counter!
No more having to schedule a Dr. appointment to get a refill when my previous scrip runs out, and even more importantly, no more having to pay $81 for a 30-day supply because my insurance doesn't cover it!
It just goes to show how screwy the drug industry is... why would the same strength of the same medication cost more than double (Zyrtec now retails for about $24 for the amount I get) just because you have to have a doc's note to get it? To answer my own question, it's because of the patent... which, on Zyrtec, didn't expire until this past Christmas Day. But even so, if the manufacturer (and the retailer) can make enough money selling the drug OTC for $24, why do they feel the need to charge $80 (or set the wholesale price so high that the pharmacy feels the need to sell it for $80) when it's prescription-only?
I won't harangue about corporate greed or the screwiness of this country's healthcare system... but thank God(dess) that things are set up so drug patents do expire.