As you are most probably aware...Arimidex this past week had Generics been approved by the FDA from various Parmaceutical companies...and are being shipped off to the wholesalers..and slowly from there being distributed to the local pharmacies. In order to figure out the prices and with my insurance...I was discussing with my daughter in law who is a pharmacist...the prices of the brand to the generic. She got back to me today and there was hardly no big difference but that is not the issue I want to bring up here..what she said was unbelievable... I even reasked her because my husband (a retired doctor) ..he too thought she had made an error..but the reply is..that at her Pharmacy which is not just a one store operation..there are i believe over 1000 stores thru out the USA that from whomever they purchase the Generic of this drug...it costs them $4.51 FOR A 30 DAY SUPPLY but they sell it for $300 with a 10 percent discount to seniors (even if the person doesn't pay..has a co pay..the total amt as you know goes towards that 'doughnut hole'. Now I guess as time goes on...the price will be dropped...but how much? no one knows..and I doubt very much if they NOW can 'demand' and 'GET' such an outrageous price for a Generic which she also interjected that the average price is over $370. My husband says...I am not taking into consideration that there are expenses..wages to Pharmacists (like my daughter in law) and etc..but even so...this is one medication...HOW IN THE WORLD CAN IT NOT BE A CRIME to charge $300 for something that cost them $4.51 for a 30 day supply???
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Q: Generic Price of Arimidex cost Pharmacy $4.51 for 30 day supply but selling it for $300.
I'd hazard a guess that the answer would be "development costs," as well as marketing costs. Now that there are half a dozen or more generics on the market, they're going to be fighting tooth and nail for customers, and that means lots of advertising and marketing expenses. It's not a crume - it's capitalism. They're charging what the market will bear. I'd heard that the generics would be checking in at about half of the cost of Arimidex, so I find that really surprising that that particular pharmacy is charging so much... surprising - but they're not breaking any laws. Maybe more women will order their AIs from Canada, now that generics are gaining a foothold. PJH
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