Prescription Drug Prices

Due to a new law that just went into effect, I just saw an Otezla ad that said, in the fine print in the bottom, that the drug costs $3398 for a 30-day supply.  For a non-life-threatening psoriasis drug.


I wonder, has anyone studied how much of the price of designer prescription drugs is spent on advertising these same doctor’s-prescription-only drugs on every channel of prime-time TV every day of the year.  It's a multi-billion dollar expense.

Quote :

However, some experts suggest that increased regulation of DTCPA [Direct To Consumer Pharmaceutical Advertising -- which is legal ONLY in New Zealand and the USA], rather than a ban, could satisfy the Central Hudson test and survive constitutional scrutiny.12 Other measures have also been proposed, such as the Say No To Drug Ads Act, first introduced by Representative Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) in 2002, and reintroduced most recently in February 2011.5,30 This Act would amend the Internal Revenue Code to prevent drug manufacturers from claiming the cost of DTCPA as a tax deduction.5

So, not only are pharma companies passing along the advertising costs to US consumers, they're using it to reduce their tax load.

Who says Congress is a bad investment?