So tell me, James. Do you feel that drugs are _not_ sensitive to proper handling? Do you feel that temperature, time, and mechanical damage are not concerns? Do you feel that every entity claiming to be a Canadian Online Pharmacy is legitimate, selling legitimate drugs?
Are you aware of the existance of counterfeit drugs, James?
James Kirby notes:
Ah, hell, man. A drug company's gotta live, and they prefer chewing rather well up on the hog.
For a time, I was ordering a prescription out of NZ. It was about half the price of the Canadian drug. VA wouldn't supply it, possibly because of the cost, so I went the cheapest possible route.
Charlie Self "When we are planning for posterity, we ought to remember that virtue is not hereditary." Thomas Paine
Paul Kierstead asks, tongue firmly implanted:
Sure they do. Of course, the fact that if they charged U.S. prices, that particular drug would not sell at all in that area of N. America has nothing to do with it.
Charlie Self "When we are planning for posterity, we ought to remember that virtue is not hereditary." Thomas Paine
It's frightening to think how far biased the corporate/neocon government combination is towards concentration of wealth. Obviously, drug companies are not selling to Canada at a loss. They would just stop selling if that were the situation. The fact that the price back to us after a turnaround still beats the pants off what we can get at home is just appalling. This corporate welfare stuff just really, really ticks me off. Why does an average person on the street support it? Have they really fallen that far into the con?
Jim Kirby
True, drug research is expensive. However--the pharmaceutical companies spend more money on marketing than they do on research. There's plenty of money in the pot for research. The pharmies just have a captive market, and are charging what the market will bear. The fairly recent trend of US consumers seeking Canuckistani drugs just indicates that the pharmies have come near the maximum they can charge. Bringing prices down is easy: just stop buying medicine. Right, like that'll happen. So, it takes regulatory action to cap prices. That way, consumers can keep buying meds, get their will expressed via their elected representatives, and the pharmies can still make money hand over fist. Note that the recent legislation (Medicare drug benefits, IIRC) prohibits the US government from negotiating lower prices with the pharmies. So, no regulatory action yet because the representatives are representing their constituents, not their citizens.
No, as long as the pharmies cover their costs, there is no "financing" involved. The extra cost to consumers, over the costs of production and proper distribution, is called "profit." The question is how much profit can the pharmies make before the pig squeals.
There is no "share" that Canadians aren't paying. They're just not getting bled as white.
Again, there is no shortage of funds for research. The cost of research, as astonishingly high as it is, is amortized across a huge market. This is why "orphan diseases" are around: there isn't a big enough market to amortize the R&D. For the mass-market meds we're talking about here, the pharmies do not lose one cent by selling at a lower cost to anybody; they only make less profit on the top.
To recap: Pharmies make a profit selling meds in Canada. Pharmies make a humongous profit selling meds in the US. Cads even sleazier than the med lords can and do bilk unwary consumers. Reputable pharmacies in Canada can and do safely ship meds to smart shoppers.
um... the US pharm companies who supply the canadian market aren't forced to do so. they negotioate with the canadian single payer system to supply drugs there. I can only assume that they make a profit doing so. the fact that the prices for the same drugs are so much higher here has more to do with cronyism and a totally fragmented market than with the research and development costs they keep whining about.
VA only supplies drugs fifteen/twenty years out of fashion. Not that they don't have therapeutic value, I suppose, but it's a different world looking at VA meds versus civilian for the same condition. Most of our younger ER docs don't even recognize 'em when you bring them to the hospital.
Long past time to trash that bureaucracy in favor of Medicare "V."
Please, it's another case of "soak the rich."
You, as an American, are rich, and must be prepared to do your fair share.
Actually, your insurance must do its fair share, and that's paid by your employer.
The fact
If you want a good preview of what Kerry's healthcare would be like, go spend a day at a VA medical center.
I don't really have a quarrel with the out-of-fashion drugs; many of them still work just fine for a fraction of the cost of the fancy new stuff. I have a problem with rationing of healthcare, though.
-- My opinionated book reviews on sales topics
Turns out that's becoming a *major* problem. The economic realities of healthcare are such that the end-user is being exposed to the true cost of healthcare, and the end-user is very unhappy about that, because the end-user has been sold a bill of goods by the government and the insurance industry.
I happen to be in that business, BTW, and you are welcome to read some of my opinion pieces on that subject on my website. Even if you aren't in Texas.
George states:
Actually, it turned out VA was right--they were nervous about Vioxx and Celebrex and took them out of their pharmacy before the general withdrawal of Vioxx.
As far as out-of-date medications go, one of mine was so far behind the times that it had just reached the reference books, and hadn't reached local doctors.
I think you're making some general statements from information laid on for specific cases: it is accurate at times, but it strikes me like the big complaint that VA has a much higher death rate than the general run of hospitals; it also has a majority of patients much older than those in general hospitals.
And however you name the bureaucracy, it is going to be reasonably large, especially with two new combat arenas feeding it patients. Charlie Self "When we are planning for posterity, we ought to remember that virtue is not hereditary." Thomas Paine
Howard states:
Rationing of healthcare goes on every day. Those with insurance get it. Those with a modest amount of money either do without or pay through the nose. Those too poor to pay, get some slap dash care that may or may not be good.
I spent part of the morning at my 'local' VA facility getting a Hyagel (sp?) injection for my knee. I was in and out in 20 minutes. Last week, it took about
But they can't get flu vaccine. Makes one wonder what sources the Chicago Bears have, as well as Congress. And if you believe that the Bears are the only sports team to be "special" I've got a real deal for you on a bridge.
Charlie Self "When we are planning for posterity, we ought to remember that virtue is not hereditary." Thomas Paine
Get your facts straight:
The drugs are the same ones sold in the USA, some are made in Canada, some in USA, some in France and some in Germany. There are only a few major drug manufacturers that produce the branded drugs in the world. Not all are American. Generic drugs are another story, but are usually produced after the patents run out.
A lot of development is done in other countries than the US.
Canada, and other countries have agreements on how much the drug companies can charge consumers for drugs. In the US the government has refused to help their consumers. The drug companies have a lot of lobbyists in Washington to keep it that way.
There is a growing groundswell developing against selling to Americans because 30 million Canadians cannot continue to supply over 300 million Americans with drugs. Already there are reports of supplies running low, and the drug companies are not happy with supplying Americans through Canada.
D> > Doug W> >>
If you check my earlier comments, I had defined my use of "socialism" here: "So, to the extent that socialism=the state knowing better than the markets and acting to impede the markets, that would be socialism being responsible for the disparity."
Lot of folks never even look at the withholding on their checks, much less the cost of things not reported. Quick to complain they're underpaid, though.
Now expla>
Nope, what I say is what I say. It is my experience, and presented as such. I see lots of VA pill bottles, even though the nearest facility is over 100 miles away from the area I serve.
Death rates is your straw man, as is your political insinuation.
The purpose of the VA was to provide a benefit to those who had served in a day when such benefits were not routinely extended to those who had reached a certain age or infirmity. Those days are past. Extending Medicare or Medicaid level benefits to veterans would certainly result in a saving to the vast majority of vets, who would not have to travel, though it would cost more, I'm sure. When medical attention is inexpensive and available nearby, it will be used. As with the other mentioned programs, however, hidden costs in the form of write-offs by participating providers will never be mentioned. Private insurances will simply have to pay higher prices to subsidize the system.
Y'know, I've never known a company that survived by "wasting" money. That's government's task.
Advertising must do something for them.
George responds:
Well, the nearest VA to me is 50 miles away and right now I'm going there weekly. I saee lots of pill bottles from VA, too, and my experience is the opposite, for the most part, of yours.
Straw man? Oh horseshit. What political insinuation? If I have anything political to say, I say it. Beauracracies are unfortunate necessities, and regardless of political party, empire building soon turns them into unwieldy messes. If that's a political statement, so be it.
Cost more? Do you mean extending the benefits to those under 65 as well? If so, it would certainly cost more, but might be offset by reductions in Veteran's Affairs medical centers, hospitals and clinics.
Charlie Self "When we are planning for posterity, we ought to remember that virtue is not hereditary." Thomas Paine
George responds:
Outside of area coverage while traveling? There doesn't seem to be much else in the way of a rationale. My mother was an RN, and she got courtesy treatment from doctors and hospitals for her entire career, as did us kids until we left home. I guess she paid for pills.
Things have changed.
Charlie Self "When we are planning for posterity, we ought to remember that virtue is not hereditary." Thomas Paine
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