Since we shared this story on the rising prices of generic medicines last month, we have seen dozens of new stories pouring in covering this topic.
A quick google search reveals that nearly everyone involved in US healthcare is talking about it! From the New England Medical Journal to the New York times, Business Week to the LA Times, it seems there isn’t a single large media publication that hasn’t covered the story. CBS in particular has done a series of local spotlights featuring patient stories, while even Dr. Kevin Pho -the man behind the popular blog KevinMD- joined the conversation!
Source: CBS This Morning.
This trend in the rising price of generics has been going on for a few years. In the last 6 months, with prices rising beyond all expectations, the complaints are getting louder. The problem leads back to a conversation about problems within the drug development industry. On November 13, CBS Morning News spoke with Dr. Holly Phillips about these soaring prices, the effects they will have on patients, and the cause.
The topic has lit passions across the board, as tempers rage on internet comment forums. While some continue to cite the high R&D costs in developing these drugs, more and more are calling for a changed system that “takes industry out of healthcare” – suggesting that recent buyouts have removed competition in the generic market, criticizing a system that prices drugs according to “what the system will bear.”
These comments were responding to this article on Philly.com. The sentiments expressed are just opinions and do not represent the the beliefs of the Access Our Medicine Initiative.
Perhaps one of the most powerful voices rising out of this conversation is that of Senator Bernie Sanders. Last month he acknowledged this issue and made a public call for patient stories. Over a few weeks he collected over 1500 personal stories from patients whose medicines had increased in price several times, causing them to take desperate measures: skipping doses, splitting pills and going without food. This week on November 20th at 1pm, Senator Sanders will chair a hearing in the Senate Subcomittee for Primary Health and Aging on this topic. He and Representative Elijah Cummings have researched the topic and demanded answers from 14 different generic drug manufacturers. We’re all looking forward to hearing what they have to say.
Join the conversation by adding your voice for affordable medicine: www.accessourmedicine.com
