RALEIGH—Uninsured
consumers in Raleigh pay 58% more for common prescription drugs than
what the drug companies charge the federal government, according to a
new North Carolina Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) report
released today.
“When
1.4 million North Carolinians go it alone at the pharmacy, they pay the
price,” said NCPIRG Advocate Rob Thompson. “With no one to negotiate
lower prices on their behalf, uninsured consumers often face sticker
shock when trying to afford medically necessary prescriptions,”
continued Thompson.
In
the spring of 2006, NCPIRG teamed up with state PIRGs across the
country to survey more than 600 pharmacies in 35 cities to determine
how much uninsured consumers pay for 10 drugs when compared with prices
paid by the federal government, which uses its buying power to
negotiate with drug companies for lower prices. While many studies have
focused on the impact of high drug prices on senior citizens, NCPIRG’s
survey examined the prices uninsured consumers pay for a range of
prescription drugs widely used by Americans under 65, such as
antibiotics, allergy medication, anti-depressants, and
cholesterol-lowering medication.
Among the survey’s key findings:
•
In Raleigh, uninsured consumers pay 58% more than what the federal
government pays for the same drugs, ranking the city 25th out of the 35
cities we surveyed.
• The uninsured in city pay almost twice as much for their medication
at local drug stores as they would pay at a Canadian pharmacy. The
hormone replacement drug Premarin costs 505% more at Raleigh drug
stores than it does at a Canadian pharmacy.
• Nationally, based on the 35 cities we surveyed, uninsured Americans
pay 60 percent more on average than what the federal government pays
for same drugs and twice as much as they would pay at a Canadian
pharmacy.
“Hard-working
Americans without health insurance or prescription drug coverage are
paying pay full price for their medications—if they are able to afford
them at all,” stated Thompson.
NCPIRG called for increasing
the availability of low cost generic drugs by closing loopholes that
allow drug makers to hold on to their patents and tightening oversight
of drug makers’ marketing tactics, which drive up demand for the newest
and more expensive drugs regardless of effectiveness. NCPIRG also
supports creating prescription drug buying pools at the state level to
allow individuals (including the uninsured), businesses and the
government to use their combined buying power to negotiate lower drug
prices with manufacturers.
“While
Congress drags its feet, state legislatures have passed innovative
policies to help uninsured consumers afford their prescription
medication,” said Thompson.
