[VoNPD]

This is worth reading. Be sure to read to the end. You will be amazed.
A
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Let's hear it for Costco!! (This is just mind-boggling!) Make sure you read all the way past the list of the drugs The woman that signed below is a Budget Analyst out of federal
Washington , DC offices.

Did you ever wonder how much it costs a drug company for the active ingredient in prescription medications? Some people think it must cost a lot, since many drugs sell for more than $2.00 per tablet. We did a search of
offshore chemical synthesizers that supply the active ingredients found in drugs approved by the FDA. As we have revealed in past issues of
Life Extension, a significant percentage of drugs sold in the United States contain active ingredients made in other countries. In our
independent investigation of how much profit drug companies really make, we obtained the actual price of active ingredients used in some
of the most popular drugs sold in America

The data below speaks for itself.

Celebrex: 100 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $130.27
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.60
Percent markup: 21,712%

Claritin: 10 mg
Consumer Price (100 tablets): $215.17
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.71
Percent markup: 30,306%

Keflex: 250 mg
Consumer Price (100 tablets): $157.39
Cost of general active ingredients: $1.88
Percent markup: 8,372%

Lipitor: 20 mg
Consumer Price (100 tablets): $272.37
Cost of general active ingredients: $5.80
Percent markup: 4,696%

Norvasc: 10 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $188.29
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.14
Percent markup: 134,493%

Paxil: 20 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $220.27
Cost of general active ingredients: $7.60
Percent markup: 2,898%

Prevacid: 30 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $44.77
Cost of general active ingredients: $1.01
Percent markup: 34,136%

Prilosec : 20 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $360.97
Cost of general active ingredients $0.52
Percent markup: 69,417%

Prozac: 20 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets) : $247.47
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.11
Percent markup: 224,973%

Tenormin: 50 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $104.47
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.13
Percent markup: 80,362%

Vasotec: 10 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $102.37
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.20
Percent markup: 51,185%

Xanax: 1 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets) : $136.79
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.024
Percent markup: 569,958%

Zestril: 20 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets) $89.89
Cost of general active ingredients $3.20
Percent markup: 2,809

Zithromax: 600 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $1,482.19
Cost of general active ingredients: $18.78
Percent markup: 7,892%

Zocor: 40 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $350.27
Cost of general active ingredients: $8.63
Percent markup: 4,059%

Zoloft: 50 mg
Consumer price: $206.87
Cost of general active ingredients: $1.75
Percent markup: 11,821%

Since the cost of prescription drugs is so outrageous, I thought everyone should know about this. Please read the following and pass it on.
It pays to shop around. This helps to solve the mystery as to why they can afford to put a Walgreen's on every corner. On Monday night,
Steve Wilson, an investigative reporter for Channel 7 News in Detroit, did a story on generic drug price gouging by pharmacies. He found in his investigation, that some of these generic drugs were marked up as much as 3,000% or more. Yes, that's not a typo.....three thousand percent! So often, we blame the drug companies for the high cost of drugs, and usually rightfully so. But in this case, the fault clearly lies with the pharmacies themselves. For example, if you had to buy a prescription
drug, and bought the name brand, you might pay $100 for 100 pills.

The pharmacist might tell you that if you get the generic equivalent, they would only cost $80, making you think you are "saving" $20. What
the pharmacist is not telling you is that those 100 generic pills may have only cost him $10!

At the end of the report, one of the anchors asked Mr. Wilson whether, or not there were any pharmacies that did not adhere to this practice, and he said that Costco consistently charged little over their cost for the generic drugs.

I went to the Costco site, where you can look up any drug, and get its online price. It says that the in-store prices are consistent with the
online prices. I was appalled. Just to give you one example from my own experience, I had to use the drug, Compazine, which helps prevent nausea in chemo patients.

I used the generic equivalent, which cost $54.99 for 60 pills at CVS. I checked the price at Costco, and I could have bought 100 pills for $19.89. For 145 of my pain pills, I paid
$72.57. I could have got 150 at Costco for $28.08.

I would like to mention, that although Costco is a "membership" type store, you do NOT have to be a member to buy prescriptions there,
as it is a federally regulated substance. You just tell them at the door that you wish to use the pharmacy, and they will let you in. (this is
true)

I went there this past Thursday and asked them. I am asking each of you to please help me by copying this letter, and passing it into your own e-mail, and send it to everyone you know with an e-mail address.

Sharon L. Davis
Budget Analyst
U.S. Department of Commerce
Room 6839
Office Ph: 202-482-4458
Office Fax: 202-482-5480
E-mail Address: sdavis@doc.gov

i think i'd be a little wary of this... is costco an internet store or is it physically located? i've heard some horror stories about people getting 'fake' drugs that are packaged just like the real thing off of the internet.

how much does it cost to make a CD with music on it? less than a couple cents i bet. how much does it cost to buy the time in the recording studio and get in the sound mixers and the producers and pay for advertising...

drugs cost peanuts to make but they certainly don't cost peanuts to develop (talking teams of scientists here) or advertise. millions can be invested in some drug that never makes it past the FDA. thats millions lost. don't get me wrong, the drug companies profits are indeed looking a little too good. but i guess i'm wary...

i'm kinda wary that a person working at the US department of commerce would be willing to make this statement under the rubric of her position in the department of commerce. i wonder how the department of commerce feels about that? typically... companies / businesses / goverment institutions have a disclaimer on the bottom of their emails stating that 'the email is for the intended recipient only if you have received this email in error blah de blah blah this company takes no responsibility for the information contained herein and in no way endorses it blah de blah blah.

don't get me wrong, if prices vary that much depending on where you get your meds then it is important to shop around.

is that really the case, though?

here... i'm fairly sure drug prices are regulated / standardised so they are consistent. at least... i'm fairly sure they are...

its not just an ad for costco???

[Perna]

The "letter" is a polyglot, chain e-mail with very little of useful "fact" to it.

http://www.breakthechain.org/exclusives/genericrx.html

I don't post other people's contact information (or forward it if I get it in e-mails) because if it is "real" it can really mess up a person's life having such information wander around the Internet for months or years at a time.

[VoNPD]

Yes, it's an emailed thing - that's why I included the person's contact info.

Costco is a physical location. Not located everywhere, but in several US cities. It's a buyers club like Sam's. Target is also supposed to be doing something similar.

I didn't post it as a commercial believe me. Just know how hard it is to choose b'tween my meds and food.

A

[ECHOES]

Do you know about the $4 Rx programs at Walmart & Sam's Club, Kmar, and Target (and maybe other places that I'm not aware of).

Anyone can buy them, even if they have insurance and Rx coverage.

The Walmart/Sam's Club list was upsdated 9/27/2007. Go to www.Walmart.com.