Costs of Medicine

From the good people over at the Common Ground Health Clinic comes insulin prices from Wal-mart:

• HUMULIN 70/30 $37
• NOVOLIN 70/30 $41
• RELION/NOVO 70/30 $20
• RELION NOVO N $20
• HUMULIN N $37
• HUMULIN R $37
• RELION/NOVO R $20
• NOVOLIN R $41
• LANTUS $84

Now these are for 100U/ml x 10ml vials. 

On a related note, a patient came into clinic from the Tulane Hospital ER, where they diagnosed a UTI and empirically prescribed him Levaquin.  He feels much better after the Levaquin, but spent about $106 on it.  Meanwhile, the sensitivities of the e. coli that grew in his urine showed pan-sensitivity, including to bactrim...meaning an empiric treatment with Bactrim (or Cipro, for that matter) would only have cost this guy $4 at Walmart or Target. 

That being said, when told that his hypertension medicine, Cartia - for which he spends $60 a month, could be changed to excellent medicines at Wal-mart for $4, which in fact are the first line medicines per JNC-7...he hesitated on the verbalized belief that they couldn't work as well if they were cheaper. 

Conclusion: victory to the drug companies.   

UPDATE: Thank you very much to GCGeorge.net for including this post in the Medical Grand Rounds.  For visitors from the Grand Rounds...welcome.  Feel free to explore the site - which usually has at least one post a day on issues from indigent care medicine to international health to New Orleans topics.  And for my three loyal readers, please visit the Grand Rounds - it's always a great introduction to the breadth of wealth of medical blogging.    

Comments

[Danielle]

This is such a shame!!! Patients are so misconscrued in their thinking that expensive means excellence. Let's relate to me- THE SHOPPER. I go to Banana Republic and buy a cute pair of cotton chino capri's for $98.00. I then decide to go to the Gap and buy a different color of the same capri's for $48.00. Yet and still- being the shopper that I am.. I go to Old Navy and buy yet another color of those capris. This time for $18.00. Well what do you know....GAP, BANANA REPUBLIC & OLD NAVY HAVE THE SAME RETURN POLICIES....WAIT A MINUTE- THE SAME RECEIPT.......THAT'S FUNNY......WELL...MAYBE BECAUSE THEY ARE THE SAME COMPANY. SO THOSE BANANA REPUBLIC CAPRI'S THAT I PAID $98.00 FOR ARE THE SAME ONES I COULD HAVE GOTTEN FROM OLD NAVY FOR $18.00.........LESSON LEARNED.....-I HOPE