JustCare

Category: Drugs and technology

  • Why are drug prices in the US twice as much as in Holland and Great Britain?

    Why are drug prices in the US twice as much as in Holland and Great Britain?

    Why are drug prices in the US twice as much as in Holland and more than twice as much as the Brits? Dean Baker at the Center for Economic and Policy Research explains here that the only reason we pay so much more for our prescription drugs than people in every other wealthy nation is because the US Congress allows the pharmaceutical industry to charge whatever they want for their drugs.  No other government allows the drug companies to set the prices for their drugs.

    Americans could save more than $300 billion if we paid the same amount for our drugs as Canadians, who pay about 72 percent of what we pay.  And, if the price of our drugs were the same as the Danes, we could save around $725 billion.

    So if you’re looking to save money on your next trip abroad, consider filling some prescriptions!

  • Drug companies keep drug prices sky high after drugs go off patent

    Drug companies keep drug prices sky high after drugs go off patent

    If you can believe it, even after a drug goes off patent, drug companies can pay the generic drug manufacturers to hold off making the generic version of the drug.  It’s called “pay for delay”?  It’s how the drug companies keep drug prices sky high after drugs go off patent. And, according to a report by U.S. PIRG, at least eight of the ten largest drug companies do just that. Pay for delay stifles competition, which brings down drug prices, keeps the price of the drug high and generates big additional profits for the drug companies.

    Pay for delay means that consumers pay big time for drugs even when they go off patent.  Generic drugs can cost as much as 85 to 90 percent less than the brand-name drug equivalent.  So, pay for delay ends up costing us an estimated $3.5 billion in high drug prices according to the FTC.

    If you’d like Congress to address this injustice, click here to go to the US PIRG web site.

  • Effectiveness of antibiotics at serious risk thanks to overuse in animals

    Effectiveness of antibiotics at serious risk thanks to overuse in animals

    Antibiotics are becoming increasingly ineffective at treating people, and doctors are seeing a significant number of their patients die as a consequence, according to a new report from Consumers Union and U.S. PIRG.

    In a survey of 500 doctors, 425 reported that one or more of their patients had been presumed or diagnosed infected with a multi-drug resistant bacterial infection in the last year.  They said that more than one in three of these patients had either died or suffered serious health complications.

    According to the CDC, about 23,000 Americans die each year from antibiotic-resistant bacteria.  The high frequency of antibiotic use in food-producing healthy animals is a large part of the cause. About 80 percent of the antibiotics used in the United States are for livestock to promote growth.  Only about 20 percent are used on people.

  • Some generic drug prices rising at a staggering pace

    Some generic drug prices rising at a staggering pace

    A recent investigation shows generic drug prices rising at a staggering pace. The drug industry has significant responsibility for the high-cost of many generic drugs. Neither the insurance companies nor other middlemen have the leverage to rein in prices adequately. Here are just two examples:

    In October 2013, the average cost for one Albuterol Sulfate pill, which treats asthma and lung conditions, was .11 cents.  Six months later, in April 2014, the average cost per pill was $4.34, almost 40 times more.

    In October 2013, the average cost for one Doxycycline Hyclate pill, which treats bacterial infections, was .04 cents. The average charge in April 2014 was $3.70 a pill.

    The data come from the Healthcare Supply Chain Association and represent the amounts that group purchasing organizations pay for these drugs.  Congress needs to step in and ensure that everyone in America pays a fair price for prescription drugs, as every other wealthy nation has done. For now, Senator Bernie Sanders and Congressman Elijah Cummings have introduced legislation that would rein in the prices Medicaid pays for generic drugs.

    For a detailed study on the high cost of generic drugs, read this article from the New England Journal of Medicine.

  • A skin patch for monitoring your health wirelessly

    A skin patch for monitoring your health wirelessly

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    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxhoLxRYsRU

    In the what-will-they-think-of-next department, engineers at the University of Illinois and Northwestern have developed a thin skin patch for monitoring your health that looks almost like a piece of scotch tape with tiny sensors stuck to it and is allegedly as soft as skin.  It is entirely wireless and can transmit information on your heart rate and other vital signs directly to your cellphone or computer.  But, I don’t need to tell you, you can see for yourself on the accompanying video.
  • Drug and device companies paid doctors and hospitals nearly $3.5 billion in the last five months of 2013

    Drug and device companies paid doctors and hospitals nearly $3.5 billion in the last five months of 2013

    New federal data reveals that drug and device companies paid doctors and hospitals significant amounts of money to help promote their products in 2013. Thanks to health care reform, which requires much more accountability and transparency in health care, the Center for Medicare and Medicare Services has just released data showing that in the five months between August and December 2013, 546,000 physicians and 1,360 teaching hospitals received almost $3.5 billion from these medical industries.  To be clear, this does not include money from medical device and drug companies to members of Congress to help ensure that the U.S. government continues to allow them to charge Americans rates for their products twice as high as what other wealthy nations allow.

    To view the Open Payments data for yourself, click here.  It is intended to help the public understand how much money is going to doctors and teaching hospitals from drug and device manufacturers.

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  • A simple blood test may be able to predict Alzheimer’s disease

    A simple blood test may be able to predict Alzheimer’s disease

    According to a new report in Nature magazine, scientists have identified a new test that can predict with excellent accuracy whether an individual will develop Alzheimer’s disease or cognitive impairments.  The blood test examines levels of different fats.  The scientists found that individuals with Alzheimer’s disease have low-levels of 10 different kinds of fats compared to older adults without cognitive impairments.

    The blood test is not yet available to doctors. And, there is still a lot of work to be done before it becomes available. But, it appears to be a significant advance, allowing doctors to know with 90 percent accuracy whether an individual will develop Alzheimer’s long before any symptoms appear.

    Today it is expensive and difficult to predict Alzheimer’s disease.  The disease affects more than 35 million people around the world, and its prevalence is growing.  According to the Alzheimer’s Association, more than 500,000 Americans die of Alzheimer’s disease each year.  It is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.  And, in the ten years between 2000 and 2010 there was a 68 percent increase in the number of people dying of Alzheimer’s disease.

  • Could your cellphone distractions be harming your grandkids?

    Could your cellphone distractions be harming your grandkids?

    A recent study in Pediatrics looks at patterns of cellphone use by parents and other caregivers during mealtime.  While the researchers drew no conclusions from the range of patterns they captured, they found that many caregivers were distracted by their cellphones during meals and were not engaged with the children they were caring for.

    No one knows the long-term effects of cellphone distractions.  But, data show that talking to and engaging with children helps with their language development and vocabulary.

  • Medicare prescription drug costs falling

    Medicare prescription drug costs falling

    Medicare prescription drug costs are falling. Drug spending has dropped significantly, largely because of a loss of patent protection for several commonly used high-cost drugs and fewer than projected brand-name drugs being introduced into the market.
    A new report from the Congressional Budget Office further explains that far fewer people have enrolled in Part D than originally projected.  As a result, Medicare drug spending in 2013 was $50 billion, about half of what the CBO projected in 2003.In 2013, there were 39 million enrollees in the Part D drug program, 12 percent fewer than projected ten years before.

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    For CMS data on Medicare drug spending in 2013, click here.

  • Do you have diabetes? Contact lenses will soon measure glucose levels

    Do you have diabetes? Contact lenses will soon measure glucose levels

    In five years time, people with diabetes will no longer need to prick themselves to measure their blood-sugar level.  Their contact lenses will do it for them, while also correcting their vision.

    New technology from Google implants a minuscule sensor in contact lenses to measure people’s glucose level from their tears and an equally small antenna to relay the information.

    Almost 30 million Americans have diabetes.  Novartis is partnering with Google to market this “smart lens” technology.  To learn more, click here.


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