Keith Dean
Jul 30, 2024
Prescriptions are intended to improve how people feel – not make them feel worse. Pharmaceutical companies need to keep that in mind when they are setting drug prices and managing the supply chain.
It’s bad enough that prices on prescription drugs continue to skyrocket. It’s reported that 8 in 10 adults feel the cost of prescription drugs is unreasonable.
Now, in addition to high prices, many Floridians can’t get the medicines they need because they simply aren’t available. The FDA currently lists more than 100 drugs as being in shortage.
The combination of pricing and availability challenges shines a light on pharmaceutical companies, their manufacturers and the overall supply chain. While it's understandable that factors such as natural disasters or unexpected spikes in demand can affect what’s available at the pharmacy, there are also economic factors at play. These include decisions by pharmaceutical companies aimed at driving profits.
A recent report from U.S. Pharmacopeia found lower-cost medicines are more likely to face supply constraints, as manufacturers often choose to stop making drugs with tighter margins. Data show that more than half of discontinued solid oral meds were priced for patients at less than $4. With fewer lower-cost drug options, people are being pushed towards higher-priced prescriptions.