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Television drug ads Holy crap!

BobJudyBobJudy Member Posts: 6,445 ✭✭✭✭
edited March 2019 in General Discussion
Most of you have seen all of the new wonder drug ads on T.V. To make a long story short, after a year and a half of seeing several Doctors about a painful condition that I developed they decided to put me on Humira. The condition is called hidradenitis supperativa. Don't ask me how that is pronounced because all 3 docs said it differently. I can now see why they can afford all the advertising. One self administered shot per week for the foreseeable future will run about $130,000 per year. Each one of those prefilled, single use pens costs about 2500 bucks. Keep in mind this isn't a cure but only a treatment of the symptoms. Luckily with my insurance most of the cost is covered but these drugs must drive up everyones premiums a bit. I started the treatment at the Docs today with 2 shots. Took about a minute and had 5 grand worth pumped in me. Told not to expect results for several weeks. You would think for 5 grand they would work a little faster or at least the nurse would have been cuter. Oh well enough ranting. I guess it will be worth it if Humira works. By the way hope none of you ever develops this as it really sucks. Bob

Comments

  • mnrivrat48mnrivrat48 Member Posts: 1,711 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    They have jacked up the price of drugs to a level they are making billions of dollars in profits every year. Even on drugs that have been around for decades. My Insulin cost runs near $2,000 a month for example. Talk about price gouging , and since they can buy with ease our congress and senate critters ,it will stay that way.
  • andrewsw16andrewsw16 Member Posts: 10,728 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    As much as I am against socialized medicine, I guess I have been a beneficiary in sorts all my life. Dad was on active duty the whole time I was a minor, so I was covered by military medical or CHAMPUS, including getting all prescriptions filled for free at the onbase pharmacy. Then a career on active duty, so I was covered by that and the military pharmacy. Now that I am retired, I get TRICARE and the free onbase pharmacy. That has turned out to be one of the best bennies of military service. I feel for those who do not have the coverage that I have benefited from.
  • mjrfd99mjrfd99 Member Posts: 4,556 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    mnrivrat48 wrote:
    They have jacked up the price of drugs to a level they are making billions of dollars in profits every year. Even on drugs that have been around for decades. My Insulin cost runs near $2,000 a month for example. Talk about price gouging , and since they can buy with ease our congress and senate critters ,it will stay that way.

    Spot on.
  • Rocky RaabRocky Raab Member Posts: 14,138 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Well of course the drugs are expensive. How else do you think they pay for hundreds of millions of dollars worth of TV ads?
    I may be a bit crazy - but I didn't drive myself.
  • olddog44olddog44 Member Posts: 3 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    The new wonder they have me on, Zytiga $11,547 a month.
    When I take it makes me sick at the costs
  • droptopdroptop Member Posts: 8,367 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    andrewsw16 wrote:
    As much as I am against socialized medicine, I guess I have been a beneficiary in sorts all my life. Dad was on active duty the whole time I was a minor, so I was covered by military medical or CHAMPUS, including getting all prescriptions filled for free at the onbase pharmacy. Then a career on active duty, so I was covered by that and the military pharmacy. Now that I am retired, I get TRICARE and the free onbase pharmacy. That has turned out to be one of the best bennies of military service. I feel for those who do not have the coverage that I have benefited from.
    You did have a form of socialized medicine but benefits are limited to a small portion of the population. Your "policy" is paid for by taxes paid by the entire population including military members. Your benefit is an employer medical coverage and the employer is the Military.

    I've had the same thing, availability of health insurance because I've always (made sure) I had a job and availability of COBRA. Don't consider myself lucky because I worked to get coverage and the coverage premiums were taken out of my paycheck.

    I get medicare but that is not socialized medicine. I paid for the retirees medical care out of my pay checks for 30+ years and people who work NOW are paying for mine. Noticed your SS deductions are quite a bit higher today than 30 years ago?

    I also feel "lucky" compared to others who don't have insurance because my lifetime medical expenses are pushing One Million Dollars.

    People work Private or government and their employers pay for their agreed upon shares, in my case it was 50/50 and guess what, companies were constantly looking for better/cheaper coverage to offer their employees or,,, the employees would start looking for another employer.

    Want to think about socialized medicine,, think Venezuela and I can promise it's much worse than you can imagine for the "common" or "average" or "above average" Venezuelan. The total lack of medicine and no electricity at hospitals. Nope, I'd rather have the insurance as it was BEFORE Obummer started "messing with it".

    Pointing out Social Security / Medicare is Socialized medicine is the primary way the Leftists glorify their socialized plans failing to mention it's something most pay for their entire lives.

    Give the government control over your "health/life" and you're owned by the government.
  • serfserf Member Posts: 9,217 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    It's called capitalism mixed in with socialism! Fewer takers of expensive drugs mean higher prices for prescriptions, there is power in numbers in commerce as well as in Governments. Life is precious to the owner of it but then think of all the abortions we sanction as a nation. Crazy world with stupid conditions. it's all a crapshoot. Now commercials for new drugs is just the bare hook to bite.

    serf
  • mac10mac10 Member Posts: 2,539 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    my folks use to use the canadian pharmacy got the same drugs cheap last visit to doc i asked for samples of all the tv drugs the drug rep would give out i would report results back to him :lol:
  • Mr. PerfectMr. Perfect Member, Moderator Posts: 66,184 ******
    edited November -1
    Mainstream medicine in the US is not concerned with cures, it only teaches how to treat symptoms.
    Some will die in hot pursuit
    And fiery auto crashes
    Some will die in hot pursuit
    While sifting through my ashes
    Some will fall in love with life
    And drink it from a fountain
    That is pouring like an avalanche
    Coming down the mountain
  • spasmcreekspasmcreek Member Posts: 37,724 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    AND...also notice ALL the TV drug ads are a short but joyous presentation of the miracles they will work for you but closed out by a much longer dissertation of the adverse effects possible closed by a finale of diarrhea and constipation and sudden death syndrome...and TELL YOUR DOCTOR
  • wpageabcwpageabc Member Posts: 8,760 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Big pharma is the biggist scam going. No matter what is asked in terms of reforms. The payolla to congress and senate is too great to make change possible.
    "What is truth?'
  • llamallama Member Posts: 2,637 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I don't think that things that require a prescription to obtain should be allowed to be advertised for, in any medium, to society as a whole. Ask your doctor about this today.


    (pretty sure he/she would agree!)

    Anyway, direct advertisement with drug info/education, etc to people in the profession (MDs, PAs, PharmDs, etc) via mail, society journals, etc. might be acceptable...

    Imagine what drug costs would be if they weren't paying for TV (OTA, cable, and satellite), magazine, newspaper, radio and internet advertising, sponsor race teams, sponsor sports stadiums, etc.
  • Rocky RaabRocky Raab Member Posts: 14,138 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    That was my point. Besides, those TV ads serve no purpose. YOU can't decide to take any of them on your own, and your doctor positively knows about each and every one of those drugs without the TV ads. So we have to ask why are they spending all those bajillions of dollars for air time?
    I may be a bit crazy - but I didn't drive myself.
  • pulsarncpulsarnc Member Posts: 6,217 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Worked in the medical/ psychiatric field for all of my career In the 70s and 80s the freebies given by drug companies to doctors were unreal . Paid vacations , cruise , etc to encourage writing scripts for a given drug . Government intervention killed the golden goose but allowed direct marketing to consumers to ? educate? the public . Now the millions of dollars go to the ad agency?s and not direct to the doctors . Patients now ? know ? what drug they need ,based on the ads they have seen . Cost be damned !
    cry Havoc and let slip  the dogs of war..... 
  • KenK/84BravoKenK/84Bravo Member Posts: 12,055 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    RAT BASTARDS, ALL. :|
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