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Prevacid Is Too Expensive to Make In This Country?[Made in China]
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Posted on 06/30/2002 8:39:19 AM PDT by rdavis84

Prevacid is too expensive to make in this Country?

Those who take it know what Prevacid is for, but I'll give a link to it anyway ----- http://www.prevacid.com/  ------

I started Prevacid about a year ago. The Dr. who prescribed it gave me some 1 week blisterpaks of them to get me started and see if I tolerated it. These Packs had a lot of info on them that ARE NOT on the prescription bottle. 

ONE PIECE OF INFO WAS THIS ----- "MADE IN CHINA"

That, to me, means that the finished cost of each capsule was on the level of Pennies each. The prescription costs nearly $4 per capsule. 

Now note one of the "manufacturers" other medicine's history (LUPRON) ---- http://www.tap.com/

"(1) TAP Pharmaceutical Products Inc. ("TAP"), a major American pharmaceutical manufacturer, has agreed to pay $875,000,000 to resolve criminal charges and civil liabilities in connection with its fraudulent drug pricing and marketing conduct with regard to Lupron, a drug sold by TAP primarily for treatment of advanced prostate cancer in men. The global agreement includes:

(a) TAP has agreed to plead guilty to a conspiracy to violate the PrescriptionDrug Marketing Act and to pay a $290,000,000 criminal fine, the largest criminal fine ever in a health care fraud prosecution. The plea agreement between the United States and TAP specifically states that TAP's criminal conduct caused losses of $145,000,000.

(2) A federal grand jury returned an indictment unsealed today, charging one physician and six TAP managers with conspiracy to pay kickbacks to doctors and other customers, conspiracy to defraud the state Medicaid programs on TAP's obligation to sell products to those programs at its best price, and conspiracy to violate the Prescription Drug Marketing Act by causing free samples to be illegally billed to the Medicare program. The indictment charges that the TAP defendants offered to give things of value, including free drugs, so-called educational grants, trips to resorts, free consulting services, medical equipment, and forgiveness of debt, to physicians and other customers to obtain their referrals of prescriptions for Lupron to Medicare program beneficiaries, in violation of the anti-kickback statute. The indictment also charges that the TAP defendants aided and abetted, and caused the billings to hundreds of elderly Medicare program beneficiaries and to the Medicare program directly, for thousands of free samples of Lupron, used in the treatment of prostate cancer, in violation of the Prescription Drug Marketing Act.

(b) TAP has agreed to settle its federal civil False Claims Act liabilities and to pay the U.S. Government $559,483,560 for filing false and fraudulent claims with the Medicare and Medicaid programs as a result of TAP's fraudulent drug pricing schemes and sales and marketing misconduct.

AND ON AND ON (Don't suppose they could be doing that with Precacid, do ya?)

Here's a Quote ---- "The Medicare and Medicaid drug programs are bulwarks against the financial hardship that can be caused by the need for life-saving medical treatments," said Robert D. McCallum, Jr., Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Civil Division."


TOPICS: Your Opinion/Questions
KEYWORDS: prevacid
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1 posted on 06/30/2002 8:39:19 AM PDT by rdavis84
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To: Fred Mertz
Prevacid Article
2 posted on 06/30/2002 8:58:20 AM PDT by rdavis84
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To: A. Pole
FYI
3 posted on 06/30/2002 8:59:08 AM PDT by rdavis84
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To: ArneFufkin
FYI
4 posted on 06/30/2002 9:00:14 AM PDT by rdavis84
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To: ex-snook
FYI
5 posted on 06/30/2002 9:00:51 AM PDT by rdavis84
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To: Ben Ficklin
FYI
6 posted on 06/30/2002 9:01:28 AM PDT by rdavis84
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To: grania
FYI -- I'd be interested in how many people on FR have Acid Reflux to the Damaging level. Seems like about everybody I know has it now.
7 posted on 06/30/2002 9:03:50 AM PDT by rdavis84
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To: liberallarry
FYI
8 posted on 06/30/2002 9:04:29 AM PDT by rdavis84
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To: Iscool
FYI
9 posted on 06/30/2002 9:05:23 AM PDT by rdavis84
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To: rdavis84
TAP began in 1977 as a joint venture between two global pharmaceutical leaders Abbott Laboratories, based in the United States, and Takeda Chemical Industries, Ltd., based in Japan. TAP was created as a kind of “virtual” pharmaceutical company—designed, for example, without any internal discovery organization or manufacturing facilities. From the beginning, the company’s corporate structure and business model were unique. TAP went outside for new compounds, and by doing so, developed a flexible and versatile culture. At first, TAP acquired early-stage drug compounds solely from one of its parent companies, Takeda. Today TAP works with both Abbott and Takeda, and searches the world for in-licensing opportunities, focusing its efforts on rapid, high-quality drug development, and marketing and sales in North America.

Japanese technology, Chinese manufacturing, and US marketing weasels -- a typical arrangement.

10 posted on 06/30/2002 9:12:45 AM PDT by Lessismore
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To: rdavis84
My husband was diagnosed with ARD. He was having recurring stomach pain and was on Prevacid for some time. It helped, but he still had some pain. In his case, they found Heliobacter pylori the bacterium linked to ulcers, but they couldn't find an ulcer. He opted to try antibiotic therapy and has been better ever since.
11 posted on 06/30/2002 9:29:47 AM PDT by Helix
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To: rdavis84
I have problems with heartburn. Not every day, but frequently. It used to be a problem only when I was pregnant, but I've had problems since my youngest was born.

I haven't bothered with the Dr. I figure she'll tell me to stop smoking and stop drinking soda. I suppose when I feel miserable enough, I will.

12 posted on 06/30/2002 9:38:27 AM PDT by Dianna
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To: rdavis84
My doctor gave me a prescription for Prevacid a couple
of years ago, when I was recovering from a near death
hospitalization caused by congestive heart failure, along
with several more medicines. I am self-employed and
my insurance did not cover drugs. When I went to the
Pharmacy and got my first thirty day supply of Prevacid
at $4.50 per capsule I went to Goggle and did my research.
I asked my doctor why I was having to take this high
dollar drug being as how I had not had indigestion since
I quit drinking twenty five years ago. He said that he
perscribed it in case I might get symptons from my other
medications. I told him that I would rather wait
until I needed it rather that spend that kind of money
just-in-case. He agreed and I have yet to have indigestion,
or any sign of it. Methinks doctors have certain drugs
they promote for whatever reason.


13 posted on 06/30/2002 9:41:13 AM PDT by dwilli
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To: rdavis84
Thanks for the 'referral'. A lot of stuff in this article has applicability in my world.

The country seems on a big integrity downhill everywhere art, entertainment, music, athletics, politics, law enforcement, business, Church leadership, public education. Turn around before the end of the Roman empire??

14 posted on 06/30/2002 9:49:10 AM PDT by ex-snook
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To: rdavis84
"MADE IN CHINA" That, to me, means that the finished cost of each capsule was on the level of Pennies each.

Good socialist thinking. However, in the real world, development and approval of drugs costs millions of dollars. The manufacturing price of the drug AFTER it is discovered and approved could be only a small cost -- but guess what -- somebody has to pay for the research and testing that went into the discovery and approval process.

Plus there are many "misses" in drug development -- things that don't work out -- you pay for those too. And then there are widely proscribed drugs and there are rarely proscribed drugs. The research costs may be equal, but all these misses, and unequally profitable drug development costs have to be paid for.

Where drugs have gone generic, competition beats prices pretty low -- so drug companies can only really make back their research and approval process expenses on new drugs for which they hold an initial production edge.

Now we could get Hillary as our maximum leader and she could prohibit the drug companies from charging high prices for their new drugs -- but guess what that would cause -- diminished drug research for lack of funds. I guess we'd have to turn over drug research to the government because "capitalism" doesn't work. huh?

15 posted on 06/30/2002 9:54:57 AM PDT by jlogajan
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To: jlogajan
proscribed = prescribed. oops
16 posted on 06/30/2002 9:55:54 AM PDT by jlogajan
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To: ex-snook
The Best Democracy Money Can Buy by Greg Palast will give insight into this problem.
rederic
17 posted on 06/30/2002 9:56:13 AM PDT by rederic
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To: rdavis84
Medicare/Medicade seems to have been mostly about coporate welfare for the drug companies and health industry for quite some time now. They give a large amount of our tax dollars back to the politicans to return the favor. I don't see anything changing in the near future.
18 posted on 06/30/2002 10:10:18 AM PDT by steve50
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To: jlogajan
Real Americans, Buy American.
19 posted on 06/30/2002 10:13:34 AM PDT by CIBvet
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To: rdavis84
I have it and take Prevacid at $3 per cap! That is far too expensive. I had no idea it is made in China. What isn't? Cruise your local Wal-Mart for a quick lesson that American made stuff is verboten. Study your Mandarin, we will need it (and here in the southwest, we are learning Spanish as fast as we can so we can understand the soon-to-be-in-power politicians from Mexico).
20 posted on 06/30/2002 10:16:45 AM PDT by Paulus Invictus
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