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Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Pro-reform Group: Drug Prices Rising For No Reason

High-cost specialty drugs continue to rise, far outpacing inflation and wage growth and increasing healthcare costs, according to a new report.

These high prices can make these life-saving treatments inaccessible to those that can't afford them, according to a white paper released Monday form the Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing, a part of the pro-health care reform group called the National Coalition on Health Care.

The coalition is comprised of many high-profile lobbying groups such as the AARP and the American Heart Association — as well as an odd collection of special interests ranging from the Organization of Chinese Americans to the Motion Picture Association of America.

Specialty drugs are those that either treat or cure a very serious, hard-to-treat disease. The often-tiny markets for these medicines create a strong disincentive for pharmaceutical companies to spend the enormous amounts of time and effort necessary to invent and make them. While demand for specialty products to treat serious illnesses can be high, it is intensively concentrated. As a result, specialty drugs tend to be very expensive.

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5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yep this sentence says it all -

The often-tiny markets for these medicines create a strong disincentive for pharmaceutical companies to spend the enormous amounts of time and effort necessary to invent and make them.

All about money, they truly do not care if you die.

Anonymous said...

Does anyone remember a big pow-wow between Obama and the big pharmaceutical companies when he was trying desperately to force Obamacare through Congress?
They were opposed, then suddenly they were on board.
Why?
Maybe a promise to them to 'look the other way' while drug prices go through the roof.
And it's not just highly-specialized drugs like the Hep-C treatment.
Erythromycin went from about $9 to about $200 almost overnight. I learned that the hard way.
Knowing this administration, you can bet the fix is in.

Concerned Retiree said...

AMA, FDA, Pharmaceutical along with the Hospitals do not treat for a cure. Obamacare forces them to maintain not cure or he will cut off federal money. They treat for the maintenance of a medical problem. It is called the MONEY WHEEL.
What medical disease has been cured since POLIO? I may be wrong but none that I am aware of. When Pharmaceutical companies realized how much money they were losing They cover up cures. After this cure the FDA and these other organizations were formed. Does it ring any bells yet on what and why prices rise.
It is called MONOPOLY of the healthcare system.

Anonymous said...

You wanted it you got it OBAMA care!! Big corps and gov running our health..didnt you see who attended the last SOU speech? The CEO of CVS, no wonder feds wont legalize pot..BIGPHARMA would lose billions

Anonymous said...

the reason is so big pharma can get even larger profits esp. from generics!