Anyone who has to struggle with rising costs of medical care, prescription drugs, and medical devices should pay very close attention to the ultra-secret “Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement” supported and implemented by the Obama administration.
New Deal Helps Entities, Not Consumers
This Trans-Pacific Partnership deal could potentially cause a massive rise in drug prices, as well as the already high prices of crucial medical devices for patients around the world. The U.S Pharmaceutical companies have know about this deal long enough to spend company time shaping elements of the deal to increase their profits; now it’s time for the people of the world who rely on new medical technology and medication to survive to be given the information they need to ensure they can still afford these necessities.
The drug companies in the U.S make up a large part of the group of 600 advisers from the corporate sector that is responsible for writing the body of the new trade agreement. This agreement will benefit the drug companies by
- Extending drug patents
- Preventing competition from generic, low-cost drugs
- Granting intellectual property controls on drugs and medical devices
- Raising prices of select prescription drugs by up to 50%.
The Secret Heard (And Feared) Around The World
In a report which aired on Radio New Zealand, Medicines Sans Frontiers, a medical non-government group stated they greatly feared that the secret Trans-Pacific deal would shoot drug prices to reprehensible, unaffordable levels.
Secret talks regarding the deal finished up in Malaysia last week. According to the Straits Times, 14 peaceful protesters were arrested during the 18th round of talks; arrested for expressing their fears of medical monopoly by a few extremely powerful, multinational corporations.
Twelve countries have participated in the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement talks that could greatly affect drug prices as well as the lives of the American people.
- The United States
- Canada
- Mexico
- Japan
- Vietnam
- Peru
- Chile
- New Zealand
- Australia
- Malaysia
- Brunei
- and Singapore.
This is not the first time the talks have occurred. George W. Bush vied for this trade agreement, but dropped the issue in 2008, after three talks. The TPP trade agreement was picked back up by President Obama in 2009. If the deal is signed, it will historically be the largest trade agreement ever negotiated, and 40% of the global economy will be represented by these measures.
Overcome Secrecy, Be Informed
Only a handful of the members of congress, including Rep. Alan Grayson, Florida, have been allowed to look over the draft of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement. Grayson was not surprised that the trade agreement was kept secret after he finished reading the draft. It appears that consumers may have to take matters into their own hands if they want to be able to afford their prescription drugs and medical devices.
Get Help Finding Lower Drug Prices, For FREE
eDrugSearch.com can help consumers save up to 80% on their prescription drugs. Drug prices are often too high for many people to afford. eDrugSearch.com will show you how to save money in three simple steps.
All you need to do is:
- Type the name of the drug you are looking for into the search bar
- Compare different drug prices
- Save money on your prescription drugs!
By using eDrugSearch.com, you can search for competitive prescription prices absolutely free, with no hidden costs or charges. Free services offered include
- Verified reviews of Canadian pharmacies and medications
- Prescription reminders via phone, SMS, or email
- Price comparisons of over 1000 different drugs!
Exercise Your Right To Low-Cost Medications
Though the pockets of the pharmaceutical companies may be lined, yours may not. Whether you have no health insurance or insurance that barely covers the costs of your prescriptions, you need to be able to purchase the medications you need without emptying your bank account each time a prescription needs to be filled.
eDrugSearch.com will help you exercise your right to affordable, low-cost medication. Visit today and start searching for your prescriptions and see how much you can save!
About this Angie’s List Expert: Cary Byrd is the president and founder of eDrugSearch.com. Based in San Antonio, eDrugSearch.com is a free cost comparison engine that helps consumers get safe access to affordable medications and advocates licensed online pharmacies as a widely accepted alternative.
It’s no secret that prescription drug prices are at an all-time high. Americans are spending just under $1,000 each year for prescription drugs. Listed below are the top five real reasons why these drugs cost Americans so much.
- You’re paying for all of the drugs in America.
- You’re paying for all of the drugs in the world.
- You’re paying for expensive marketing and advertising campaigns.
- You’re paying for somebody’s fat corporate bonus.
- You’re paying taxes on it too!
1.) You’re paying for all of the drugs in America.
Unfortunately, it’s impossible to just pay for one prescription. The cost of prescription drugs falls on everybody’s shoulders. Drug development is a vast and wide-reaching business. Drug prices cover research and development for a lot of drugs that may not even make it to market. Patients absorb those costs. It takes almost 15 years to bring a drug to market. Americans are paying for these drugs to be developed. Most of these drugs never see the light of day. In fact, only one in about 50 drugs will get to market and an even smaller percentage actually make profits.
2.) You’re paying for all of the drugs in the world.
Unfortunately, Americans subsidize drugs for the rest of the world too. Our high drug costs help to cover prescriptions drugs in third-world developing countries. Price controls are established in other countries. That means that pharmaceutical companies cannot legally raise drug prices. There is no price control in America. American pharmaceutical companies can raise prices legally, so Americans pay extra.
3.) You’re paying for expensive marketing and advertising campaigns.
Pharmaceutical companies are incredibly competitive. Pharmaceutical marketing is a multi-billion dollar business. Pfizer’s marketing budget was over $622 million dollars last year. A research firm, Cegedim, reported that total pharmaceutical industry marketing budgets were close to $28 billion in 2010. Marketing is more than just television and print advertisements too. The budget can also include money for online advertising, physician promotions and direct-mail campaigns. What happens when pharmaceutical companies misrepresent their products in marketing campaigns? Consumers also pick up the tab for expensive lawsuit settlements.
Different Types of Pharmaceutical Marketing Strategies and Campaigns
- Print advertising
- Television advertising
- Online advertising
- Direct-mail campaigns
- Targeting doctors
- Turning patients into consumers
4.) You’re paying for somebody’s fat corporate bonus.
It’s no secret that the big pharmaceutical industry is rolling in money. Prescription drugs are a profitable business. Drug prices go up, and corporate executives get large bonuses. In fact, pharmaceutical companies continue to make record-high profits, even during a recession. Pfizer ranks at the top of the Dow index, with an incredibly high profit margin of almost 27 percent. Pfizer isn’t even the pharmaceutical company with the highest profit margin either.
5.) You’re paying taxes on it too!
It comes as no surprise to most Americans, that they are also paying taxes on these prescription drugs. Drug prices are high for a variety of reasons, and taxes don’t help the situation. Consumers can’t expect taxes to be paid from billion dollar corporate profits or large marketing budgets. Unfortunately, big pharmaceutical companies are passing the buck onto the consumers.
This may be disturbing news for many Americans who are already paying close to $1,000 out of pocket each year due to rising drug prices. The good news is that in 2012, Americans actually spent about one percent less on prescription drugs than in recent years. There is hope for patients who are under-insured or uninsured. Shoppers should consider checking prices at eDrugSearch.com. Since 2006, eDrugSearch.com has been helping the under-insured and the uninsured get safe access to affordable medications. By using eDrugSearch.com’s free drug price comparison tool, you can expect to save between 50 and 80 percent off of U.S. retail prices.
About this Angie’s List Expert: Cary Byrd is the president and founder of eDrugSearch.com. Based in San Antonio, eDrugSearch.com is a free cost comparison engine that helps consumers get safe access to affordable medications and advocates licensed online pharmacies as a widely accepted alternative.
I thought since it was Friday I would post this fun video – hope you enjoy it!
*I recommend you play this video on a loop, all day long!
About this Angie’s List Expert: Cary Byrd is the president and founder of eDrugSearch.com. Based in San Antonio, eDrugSearch.com is a free cost comparison engine that helps consumers get safe access to affordable medications and advocates licensed online pharmacies as a widely accepted alternative.
Everyday more people are becoming aware of how much they can save ordering their prescription medications online through eDrugSearch.com. Recently, we have had several individuals contact us to walk them through their first time purchase. Although the process is simple, ordering your drugs online can be a little confusing your first time through. Let’s walk through the process so that you can make your first purchase without hitting any speed bumps along the way.
1. Sign up to eDrugSearch.com – Although this is the easiest step, it is also the most important. Signing up to eDrugSearch.com will gain you exclusive access to coupons and daily deals – so don’t rely . . . be sure to Join Today!.
2. Locate Your Medication – Type in the medication and dosage you are looking for into the search bar and hit search. If the medication you searched for is available, a box will appear showing the lowest price for that medication, the amount offered, and whether it is the brand or generic version. Now, click on the compare prices link that is located directly below the drug name and dosage.
3. Compare Prices – Search the list of drug prices that each pharmacy offers for the drug you are looking to purchase. You can compare the dosage, overall price, price per unit, or even the pharmacy rating. Once you have found the price you like, click on the buy now button.
4. Get our eBook – 99 Ways to Save Money on Your Prescription Drugs, 2012 Edition is available for just $2.99 — a small price to pay for penny-wise advice and prescription assitance resources that can save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars on your prescription drug bill!
Click here to Download 99 Ways to Save Money on Your Prescription Drugs, 2012 Edition and start saving more money right now!
You will find that purchasing drugs through eDrugSearch.com will save you both time and money. If you ever have a question about how to use the site, or find that we aren’t currently carrying a drug that you are trying to buy, feel free to contact us through our email or chat Mon-Fri, 9-5. Don’t pay full price for your medications any more, join today and start saving.
Today is the day! The eDrugSearch.com beta period has begun.
If you are a healthcare professional, consumer advocate or member of the media and are interested in participating in our beta, you can simply go to our registration page and get started. We encourage you to contact us to let us know that you’ve signed on, and to give us your feedback on the site before our official launch in January.
We’ve decided to open the site so anyone can sign up, but we don’t plan to market ourselves outside the designated beta groups until launch. We’ll keep you updated on the beta program’s progress through this blog.
eDrugSearch.com is a consumer healthcare portal that brings together the world’s most highly respected online pharmacies through a free, easy-to-use search engine. The site’s database currently includes more than 20,000 drug listings, with plans to grow to more than 100,000 listings by January 2007 — making it by far the most comprehensive resource of its kind. eDrugSearch.com advocates licensed online pharmacies as a safe and widely accepted alternative for those seeking the cost benefits, enhanced privacy, relative convenience, and increased access to generic drugs made possible by ordering prescription drugs online.
In addition to updating you on our site’s progress, eDrugSearch.com will use this blog to help consumers make better decisions in purchasing prescription medications — decisions that are in their best interests, rather than the best interests of big pharmaceutical companies. We believe the time for offering consumers more options, such as purchasing drugs from licensed Canadian pharmacies, is long overdue.
According to a recent Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive Healthcare Poll, four out of five U.S. adults favor allowing the importation of prescription drugs from Canada and other countries. A vast majority (84 percent) of the public agrees that the law banning pharmaceutical imports is intended to protect drug companies’ profits. Many of the nation’s leading politicians and consumer advocates agree with this assessment, and have been working for years to legalize drug imports.
Currently, while importing prescription medications from Canada remains illegal, the Bush Administration has decided against enforcing this law because of strong public opposition to it. We believe it is only a matter of time before the will of the nation’s consumers is officially sanctioned by the U.S. government.
In the meantime, we offer eDrugSearch.com as the most comprehensive, trustworthy resource for consumers seeking safe, low-cost drugs online. We will continue to advocate the right of consumers to affordable prescription medications.
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