NyQuil Posted March 3, 2011 Posted March 3, 2011 I work in a retail pharmacy, Lipitor, Plavis and Concerta will be the biggest ones.
LeviF Posted March 3, 2011 Posted March 3, 2011 Woohoo! No more getting reamed when paying for our anti-psychotics anymore, guys!
birdog1960 Posted March 3, 2011 Posted March 3, 2011 what I can't understand is why lipitor still has $5+billion of the statin market when there are 3 generics available in the class and a paucity of data showing any single statin to be superior. Do people just enjoy paying 10x more than they need to or are some docs really that heavily influenced by cute drug reps in tight clothes? plavix is a big deal...know plenty of people who need it but don't take it do to cost.
Bullpen Posted March 3, 2011 Posted March 3, 2011 Â When will Viag... I mean Proventil be on that list? Â (You know because of my asthma and all)
KD in CA Posted March 3, 2011 Posted March 3, 2011 what I can't understand is why lipitor still has $5+billion of the statin market when there are 3 generics available in the class and a paucity of data showing any single statin to be superior. Do people just enjoy paying 10x more than they need to or are some docs really that heavily influenced by cute drug reps in tight clothes? plavix is a big deal...know plenty of people who need it but don't take it do to cost. Â Behold the power of advertising. Â As for the docs being influence by cute drug reps in tight clothes, I don't think there's any question about that. I've never seen an ugly drug rep.
ExiledInIllinois Posted March 4, 2011 Posted March 4, 2011 what I can't understand is why lipitor still has $5+billion of the statin market when there are 3 generics available in the class and a paucity of data showing any single statin to be superior. Do people just enjoy paying 10x more than they need to or are some docs really that heavily influenced by cute drug reps in tight clothes? plavix is a big deal...know plenty of people who need it but don't take it do to cost. Â It has gotta be aggressive marketing. Look at ARB's being prescribed for high-blood pressure. Now with the increased risk of cancer with ARB's... Shouldn't those drugs be reserved for the people who can't tolerate say ACE inhibitors? It would be win-win for the patient... Don't have to spend big money on name brand drugs when a generic is available and will lower the cancer risk. Â I have been on BP meds for over 20 years, since my late teens early 20's... I still remember when my Doc suggested I try Diovan... Because he had given my almost a year of free samples... Then stupidily I began paying after they ran out... Till I wisened up and said: "Hey... Lisinopril (prior Zestril when it was name brand) was working just fine!"
el Tigre Posted March 4, 2011 Posted March 4, 2011 what I can't understand is why lipitor still has $5+billion of the statin market when there are 3 generics available in the class and a paucity of data showing any single statin to be superior. Do people just enjoy paying 10x more than they need to or are some docs really that heavily influenced by cute drug reps in tight clothes? plavix is a big deal...know plenty of people who need it but don't take it do to cost. Not all statins are the same. I tried taking generic simvastatin for a while but it made me feel like crap. My doctor switched me to Lipitor and the side effects went away and my cholesterol numbers are far better than they were with the generic. For me it's worth the extra money.
DC Tom Posted March 4, 2011 Posted March 4, 2011 When does Charlie Sheen lose its patent; I want a cheaper generic face-melter.
Nervous Guy Posted March 4, 2011 Posted March 4, 2011 How long is the window on these patents? In the US, drug patents give twenty years of protection, but they are applied for way before any clinical trials begin, so the effective life of a drug patent tends to be between seven and twelve years. Â Are drug patents too short?
Doc Posted March 4, 2011 Posted March 4, 2011 Cool. By the time I need some of these meds, they should be real cheap!
birdog1960 Posted March 4, 2011 Posted March 4, 2011 Not all statins are the same. I tried taking generic simvastatin for a while but it made me feel like crap. My doctor switched me to Lipitor and the side effects went away and my cholesterol numbers are far better than they were with the generic. For me it's worth the extra money. there are some differences in potency, no question. lipitor and crestor (2 of the last to market) are more potent. often the more potent statins cause more muscle pain at equivalent doses. because of their potency, you can often get by with lower doses. but many people are on lipitor or crestor that could tolerate higher doses of cheaper drugs and achieve target. old dr Jarvik ,psuedo cardiologist, has done a number on many folks. Â and yeah exiled, there's no reason to be on an expensive ARB if an ACE is tolerated and works. there is now a generic ARB, however i don't think it's hit the $4 list yet. to no ones surprise the brits have done studies comparing the available generics in these classes to the brand names without significant differences in outcomes. they've talked about a single pill containing a generic statin, ACE inhibitor, beta blocker and aspirin that would be dirt cheap and very useful to a large population of patients. not sure if it's available yet in europe.
Doc Posted March 4, 2011 Posted March 4, 2011 there are some differences in potency, no question. lipitor and crestor (2 of the last to market) are more potent. often the more potent statins cause more muscle pain at equivalent doses. because of their potency, you can often get by with lower doses. but many people are on lipitor or crestor that could tolerate higher doses of cheaper drugs and achieve target. old dr Jarvik ,psuedo cardiologist, has done a number on many folks. Wait, you're amazed that marketing works on people? And that people can be paid-off to support something when it's not in everyone's best interest?
ExiledInIllinois Posted March 5, 2011 Posted March 5, 2011 In the US, drug patents give twenty years of protection, but they are applied for way before any clinical trials begin, so the effective life of a drug patent tends to be between seven and twelve years. Â Are drug patents too short? Â No. Given the crisis in the health and medical industry... The patents should be shorter... Anything to lower the price for the medical consumer. In "race to the bottom", no industry should be immune. Â Who should prevail here? Main street or Wall Street. I understand that there are two sides to this agrument and benefits go along with each side of the argument, but why is the pain always off the backs of the consumer? Â Wait, you're amazed that marketing works on people? And that people can be paid-off to support something when it's not in everyone's best interest? Â True. I don't blame my doc... He is so busy that he probably doesn't even sit down to think what marketing forces are being applied in his office. He see how well it works... Maybe the docs our out of touch with the "pulse of their patients?" What is a 40 dollar co-pay RX a month to them compared to 5 bucks. Then way in all the "free" samples.
Doc Posted March 5, 2011 Posted March 5, 2011 True. I don't blame my doc... He is so busy that he probably doesn't even sit down to think what marketing forces are being applied in his office. He see how well it works... Maybe the docs our out of touch with the "pulse of their patients?" What is a 40 dollar co-pay RX a month to them compared to 5 bucks. Then way in all the "free" samples. Can't really blame the doc. Patients want/do what they want. And many have plans that have a co-pay so they don't have to care about the price of the drug.
ExiledInIllinois Posted March 5, 2011 Posted March 5, 2011 Can't really blame the doc. Patients want/do what they want. And many have plans that have a co-pay so they don't have to care about the price of the drug. Â Exactly! Â Â Why drive a Toyota Avalon when you can have a Lexus ES 350 for only 30 bucks more a month! Â
birdog1960 Posted March 5, 2011 Posted March 5, 2011 Wait, you're amazed that marketing works on people? And that people can be paid-off to support something when it's not in everyone's best interest? not amazed at all, not even a little surprised....disappointed would be a better word.
Nanker Posted March 5, 2011 Posted March 5, 2011 I say put the pharmas out of business and go homeopathic. No more drug discovery.
Nervous Guy Posted March 5, 2011 Posted March 5, 2011 No. Given the crisis in the health and medical industry... The patents should be shorter... Anything to lower the price for the medical consumer. In "race to the bottom", no industry should be immune. If that would happen you can forget about any attempts to research and develop any new and innovative medications...what? then the academics could do it? Trust me, I've been doing R&D in the industry for more than 20 years, no way they could do it. We discard 100's if not 1000's of compounds before we advance 1, and that takes years. The hurdle is very high, you need new, unprecedented mechanisms, safety, great pharmacokinetics to advance a compound...maybe 10 years from synthesis to the clinic, then spend tens if not hundreds of millions to test it in humans...the days of "me too" medications were over years ago. Drug companies feel compelled to hit home runs now, not singles...shortening patent lives would lead to no new drugs...but yeah, everything would be cheap.
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