Unfortunately, many of those affected by Type 2 Diabetes are without prescription drug coverage and have to pay for there medication out of pocket. So, today I would like to take a look at the average cost of both the brand and generic versions of Metformin online, and compare those prices to the ones in Freebee Foreign Pharmacies database.

Metformin is the most commonly prescribed prescription medication for Type 2 diabetes. Metformin is taken orally, and is only used to treat non-insulin dependent diabetes. It works by lowering blood sugar when it is too high, and by helping restore the way the body uses food to make energy. Glucophage and Glumetza are two of the more popular brand name versions of Metformin.

In order to compare the prices of Metformin, Glucophage, and Glumetza, we must find out what the going rate for each drug is. To do this, I Googled each different brand of Metformin, as well as the generic version, and averaged the price from the first 5 pharmacy results in Google for that brand, then compared the averaged price to the prices in Freebee’s drug database.

Since different pharmacies offer their medication in different amounts, I broke all costs down into price per pill, and used the most commonly prescribed dosage of 850 mg for Metformin and Glucophage, and 500 mg for Glumetza.

As expected, the generic version, Metformin came in with the lowest price per pill average at $.58. Glucophage came in second at $.83 cents per pill, and Glumetza last at $1.13 per pill. Remember, these results were the average of the first 5 pharmacies that came up when searching on google for each brand, which means that safety, quality, and fast delivery are not guaranteed.

Now lets see how freebee’s pharmacies stack up against the competition. The average price of the top 5 pharmacies in our database for Metformin was $.45 cents per pill ($.13 cheaper per pill). As I moved on to the brand versions, the saving just got larger. I found that Glucophage was $.13 per pill ($.70 cheaper per pill) and Glumetza was $.57 per pill ($.56 cheaper per pill)

In conclusion, using Freebee’s comparison shopping search engine you can get the more expensive brand version of Metformin (Glucophage) for $.45 per pill cheaper than the average online pharmacy price for the generic version. When filling a prescription of 300 pills, that is a savings of $300.00! Not to mention that all the pharmacies in our database have been personally checked for both safety and quality, and are licensed in their home countries and verified by independent U.S. authorities.

Why take the risk of getting swindled or hurt from a rogue pharmacy when you can fill your prescription from a safe verified pharmacy for much Cheaper?

I got a call from a friend the other day who had received a letter from Humana, his insurance provider. The letter was headlined, “Why Not Spend Less On Your Medications?”

Here’s an excerpt:

Dear ….:

Did you know that you can save as much as $360 annually on your prescriptions? Don’t spend more than you need to on your medications.

Take advantage of the guidance (sic) Humana’s Maximize Your Benefit Rx program. Our pharmacist offer (sic) helpful information about saving money through the use of lower-cost alternatives and prescription home delivery.

Our records show you recently filled a prescription for Lipitor. Did you know that you can request a lower-cost medication? Ask your doctor whether you can replace your higher-priced medication with a lower-cost alternative … Just take this letter to your doctor to discuss the alternatives our pharmacists suggest in the table below.

The table goes on to list the following alternatives to Lipitor: lovastatin, pravastatin sodium, and simvastatin.

So, is Humana thinking of you — or its own bottom line — when it makes this kind of recommendation?

First, it’s important for you to know that, while the alternatives suggested by Humana are generic drugs, Lipitor does not have a generic equivalent on the U.S. market. That’s why it’s the top-selling drug in the United States.

The other drugs suggested by Humana are all in the same class as Lipitor. They are statins, and all are prescribed for lowering blood cholesterol.

However, they do not necessarily have the same levels of efficacy. Lipitor can have a greater impact on lowering cholesterol than any of these generics, according to studies. In general, if you have a mild or moderate case of high cholesterol, a generic might work well for you. But most doctors think Lipitor is the best cholesterol drug on the market.

So, as always, ask your doctor. But don’t expect your health insurance provider to have your best interests at heart when they make this kind of recommendation.

We published a post last month on Avastin vs. Lucentis, two medications used to treat “wet AMD,” a form of age-related macular degeneration.

Philip Rosenfeld, MD, PhD, professor of ophthalmology at the University of Miami, explains in this video how Avastin was developed as a low-cost alternative to Lucentis:

As Dr. Rosenfeld explains, treatment of wet AMD with Avantis costs between $20 and $25 per dose, compared to $2,000 per dose for Lucentis.

In 2008, Genentech sold about $900 million in Lucentis. Fortunately, thanks to the emergence of Avastin as a low-cost alternative, more than 60 percent of retina specialists now prescribe Avastin. As a result, Dr. Rosenfeld concludes that the development of Avastin as an alternative to Lucentis saved consumers more than $1 billion in 2008 alone.

“It’s clear to me that Lucentis is too expensive,” said Dr. Rosenfeld. “The profits to date have been excessive.”

Unfortunately, for many high-priced drugs, no reasonably priced alternative exists.

More at the Healthcare Channel, via PharmaGossip.

It’s sad, but unfortunately a lot of people don’t use generic drugs because they think brand-name drugs must be better, simply because they cost more.

Dr. Travis Stork dispels common myths about generic drugs in this CBS Early Show segment –

Here’s more on generics vs. brand-name drugs.

A blogger recently did a little investigating and discovered that generic Ritalin (methylphenidate) is available for $4 at Wal-Mart, as well as competitors Target and Kroger.

What’s interesting about this is that not one of the retailers includes the drug on its official list of $4 generic drugs. Here’s Wal-Mart’s list, for example. No trace of methylphenidate anywhere.

We can only assume the omission is intentional. Selling a highly addictive drug like methylphenidate for such a low price might raise eyebrows in some health and medical circles, so the retailers probably want to keep the promotion quiet.

Already, physicians are complaining loudly about supermarkets that are offering free antibiotics as a way to increase foot traffic — because overuse of antibiotics leads to antibiotic resistance and the decreasing effectiveness of these drugs. That would seem like a pretty minor concern compared to selling a Schedule II controlled substance like methylphenidate for $4. Drugs like cocaine, opium and morphine are in the same class. And we know what Tom Cruise thinks about Ritalin.

It’s a curious marketing strategy. If the purpose of the generic drug programs is to be a loss leader, drawing foot traffic to these stores in hopes shoppers will buy other items, doesn’t it defeat that purpose to keep generic Ritalin’s price a secret? Why offer it at the promotional price at all?

Whatever the backstory may be, it’s a secret no longer.

The most common cause of blindness in the elderly is age-related macular degeneration, or AMD. In cases of “wet AMD,” abnormal blood vessels grow behind the retina and leak blood and fluid, resulting in rapid sight loss.

Two drugs, Avastin and Lucentis, are used by doctors to treat wet AMD; both are injected into the eye in a series of treatments. The drugs are in the same class and are made by the same company.

So what’s the difference between the two?

Some doctors and researchers say the only difference is cost. And that difference is a big one.

Lucentis costs $2,000 per injection, while Avastin is about $50.

But only Lucentis has been approved by the FDA specifically for the treatment of AMD. Avastin is a cancer drug that has been prescribed off-label to treat AMD. To date, Avastin hasn’t been evaluated in randomized controlled trials — though many retina specialists swear by it.

So, should you wait for further trials before choosing Avastin over Lucentis? Perhaps — but you’ll be waiting a while. Genentech, the maker of both drugs, is in no hurry to get FDA approval for Avastin to treat wet AMD, because such approval would hurt, not help, its profits.

The earliest we can expect side-by-side results is a couple of years from now. Dr. Daniel F. Martin, chairman of the Cole Eye Institute at the Cleveland Clinic, is undertaking a study funded by the National Eye Institute that should provide comparative results by 2011, according to Consumer Reports.

In the meantime, do your research and talk with your doctor before making a decision.

Source

On Monday, the drug maker Cephalon announced that its best-selling drug, modafinil (branded as Provigil), is now available at pharmacies nationwide in a much-hyped longer-lasting formulation, branded as Nuvigil. Modafinil is prescribed to improve “wakefulness” for those who suffer obstructive sleep apnea, shift work sleep disorder (SWSD), and narcolepsy.

To encourage patients to transition from Provigil to the “new and improved” Nuvigil, Cephalon is offering a financial incentive in the form of help with prescription drug co-payments. To assist insured patients with co-pay costs, Cephalon is offering the Nuvigil Prescription Savings Program. Through this program, eligible patients will receive a co-pay savings at the pharmacy to reduce their out-of-pocket costs to fill the prescription. For many patients, with an average co-pay of about $40, this will lower monthly co-pays to $10.

But that’s not all. Even for those without prescription drug insurance, Nuvigil is now cheaper than Provigil. As the Wall Street Journal reports:

The company has set the stage for the switch campaign by raising prices for Provigil — to the dismay of some patients. The Wall Street Journal reported in November that Cephalon boosted the price sharply twice last year, and it was 74% more expensive than four years earlier. The drug now sells at an average price of $10.08 per pill.

To encourage people to switch to Nuvigil, Cephalon is selling it at an 11% discount to Provigil, or an average of $8.98 per pill, said Mike Derkacz, vice president of the central-nervous system therapeutic business at Cephalon.

So, with these financial incentives, is making the switch from Provigil to Nuvigil a good idea for you?

This is a decision that should be made by you and your doctor together. For some patients on modafinil, a longer-lasting version could make a big difference. For others, it won’t be very important.

But you should not make your decision based on the financial incentives alone, because they are short-term promotions. In 2012, when Provigil begins facing generic competition in the United States, it will become much cheaper than Nuvigil. Nuvigil won’t face generic competion until 2023, so you can expect its $8.98 per pill price to increase over time.

Pfizer announced today that it will provide approximately 70 of its most widely used prescription drugs, including Lipitor, Celebrex, Lyrica and Viagra, for free to people who have lost their jobs and health insurance since January 1, 2009.

Consumers can call 866-706-2400 to sign up for the program, which will provide free medications for up to a year. You can only sign up if you have already been taking the medication for at least three months.

Here’s video of an AP story on the Pfizer program:

One of the first steps to take in lowering your drug expenditures is to sit down with your primary-care physician and to ask for his or her help. Whether it’s asking for samples or substituting generic drugs for expensive brand names, you might be surprised how much you can save before you even get to the
pharmacy counter.

Here are eight ways to work with your doctor to save money on your prescription drug bill:

1. Review your prescriptions with your doctor with an eye to reducing costs. Have a heart-to-heart with your doctor and tell him or her how much you can really afford to pay for your meds. When your doctor is unaware of your financial situation, he or she usually doesn’t think about a drug’s price—and may prescribe an expensive drug that’s no more effective than a cheaper alternative. There may also be drugs you can eliminate from your regimen altogether.

2. Ask for samples at every visit. Whenever you visit the doctor, don’t be shy about asking for free samples of the drugs you’re currently taking. Most doctors don’t mind helping you out—particularly if you’ve been candid with them about your financial situation.

3. Ask for generics whenever possible. Whenever your doctor fills out a prescription for you, ask if the drug is generic. If it’s not, ask if there’s a generic version of the drug, or a generic version of a similar drug, that you can take instead.

4. Try over-the-counter medications first. Because of all the TV advertising for prescription drugs today, many of us immediately ask for a prescription when we have seasonal allergies, minor heartburn or occasional insomnia. Our mentality is that prescription drugs must be stronger than over-the-counter remedies— and of course, we all want the strongest medicine for our condition. The truth is, in many cases over-the-counter medications work just as well—and don’t require paying for a high-priced prescription drug and doctor’s visit.

5. Ask for a 90-day supply. For drugs you’re taking on an ongoing basis, you can often save money and cut down on doctor’s visits by requesting a 90-day supply. Unfortunately, many insurance plans don’t allow doctors to prescribe more than a 30-day supply, so ask your insurer. But if you’re uninsured, 90-day supplies can be a money saver. Wal-Mart, for example, recently began selling 90-day supplies of more than 350 generic drugs for just $10.

6. Take care of your medications. How you store your drugs can make a big difference in how long they last and/or how effective they are. You shouldn’t keep your drugs near heat or moisture, for example. If you take drugs that have lost their potency, you’ll have to end up taking them longer—which will cost you more. This is particularly important if you are buying your drugs in 90-day supplies. Ask your doctor the best way to preserve your meds.

7. Make lifestyle changes where you can. Believe it or not, you don’t need a pill for every ill. A whole range of health conditions, such as high cholesterol and acid reflux, can often be managed through diet and exercise. Be sure to ask your doctor if there are lifestyle changes that might reduce or eliminate the need for drugs you’re taking. And don’t stop there. Because physicians aren’t always the most knowledgeable experts on nutrition and its benefits, you should do you own research, too. Harvard University’s Nutrition Source is one Web site we encourage you to check out.

8. Split your pills. Ask your doctor if he or she can prescribe medications to you in double the dosage you need. Drugs that are double the dose are often less than double the price—so splitting pills can lead to big savings for those taking expensive drugs. Pill splitting doesn’t work with all meds, so ask you doctor first. And always use a pill-splitting device; don’t try to do it by hand.

COBRA is not the best name for a government program, is it? When you get laid off, you’d probably rather be handed information on a program called KOALA or KITTEN than COBRA.

A cobra sounds like it might eat your kitten — not to mention all your savings as you look for a new job.

And sure enough, many Americans are scared by COBRA, or at least downright frustrated. Because the last thing you want to hear when you lose your job is that you’re going to have a big new expense — paying for your own health insurance.

But thanks to the stimulus plan recently passed by Congress and signed by President Obama, COBRA’s benefits are better than ever.

By law, employers must provide laid-off workers information about COBRA, a government mandate that gives workers the right to choose to continue coverage under the employer’s group plan for a limited period. The average monthly premium for COBRA is $300 for an individual and $1,000 for a family.

That may sound expensive — and it is — but it’s generally much cheaper than finding insurance on your own.

And now, thanks to the stimulus legislation, many workers who have been laid off can receive a 65 percent subsidy for up to nine months, meaning that you only have to pay 35 percent of the total cost. For a family, that can reduce the average burden from $1,000 per month to $350 per month — saving the family about $6,000 over a nine-month period.

For many Americans, this will make the difference in whether that can afford COBRA coverage — and whether they can afford to pay for their prescription drugs.

The federal subsidy applies only to people who have lost jobs between Sept. 1, 2008, and Dec. 31, 2009. For information, visit the Department of Labor’s Web site at www.dol.gov/ebsa/cobra.html.

Remember, you are required to sign up for COBRA within 60 days of being laid off or you lose the option.