Picture this: A man –probably in his mid-30s — rubs his knee as his dog looks on quizzically. A seated woman cringes as she massages her finger joints.
A kettle squeals. Voice over: "This is your wake up call.
If you have moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis, month after month, the clock is ticking on irreversible joint damage. On-going pain and stiffness are signs of joint erosion.
Humira can help stop the clock." We've all seen ads like this one and (to varying degrees) allowed name-brand drug titles to become absorbed in our minds.
But what's the cost of these new drugs? Did you know that the average retail price in the US of one carton (containing 2 dosing pens) of Humira is $5,684?
This is according to the website GoodRx, which compares drug prices. But in Canada, you can purchase the same dose for about $1600.
The good news is that soon pharmaceutical companies will have to include the price of prescription drugs that are over $35 in their TV ads. So now you can add the "erosion" of your bank account to the list of possible side-effects!
But why does it cost so much to buy prescription drugs in the US? Today I'm walking you through the history of prescription drug regulation and the ways that drugs are currently distributed as we try to understand these disproportionately high costs across the US.
Americans spend a ton of money on medicine. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, we spent nearly $1,200 per capita on prescription drugs per year in the period from 2014-2016, far out-spending people from other industrialized nations.
In fact, the Pew Charitable Trusts conducted a study of the drug spending estimates assembled by several public and private organizations. It turns out that spending on prescription drugs in the U. S. is not only rising, but also that it is expected to outpace growth in other parts of the health sector.
