if big pharma wants to make preventative medicine like Omega 3 and EPA products that's great. I'm actually surprised it even exists. my dad had a stroke and was told to take a baby aspirin by a doctor. shouldn't these medicines be an option and insurance would cover it?
First, I am sorry your Dad had a stroke. Mine had a stroke, went into the hospital, and then had a brain stem stroke and died. So, I get the concern - I really do.
And although understand your position on Big Pharma - I have an "if/then" answer to your question. Here goes: In my opinion, Yes these medicines should be an option and insurance would cover it - provided that by doing so they would leave existing products and other options alone. And "No" - these medicines should not be an option if the intention is for Big Pharma to use the new drugs as justification to drive existing products off the market.
Its really, nothing more than a money grab. Do you wonder why Novavax hasn't been apporved yet? I don't.
An example: Compounding pharmacies - There are now attempting to eliminate compounding pharmacies via legislation. Why would they do this? What emergent issue does it solve? None, whatsoever. There is no rationally based reason, other than by eliminating compounding pharmacies more money would have to be redirected to the pockets of Big Pharma; a lot more money.
Lets use a real world example: On TRT you can purchase a month's worth of TD test cream from a compounding pharmacy for about $50/Mo. The compounded product is at least functionally equivalent (if not superior) to packaged Big Pharma product (AndroGel). Without being covered by insurance, a month's worth of 1.62% AndroGel is approximately $660.00 per month. So for substantially identical products, the compounded pharmacy product costs $50/Mo. while the Big Pharma product costs $660.00/Mo. That is a real world example.
Oh, but we can argue that AndroGel may be covered by insurance. That may be true, but only up to a certain point. Insurance is in the business of making money too, so it will only cover one bottle of AndroGel per month, an amount that may not be enough to raise T levels to the point that need to be. So, then what?
Well, compounded pharmacies do not charge like this - they can compound at a higher level (than 1.62%). Therefore, if two bottles of AndroGel was required, and insurance would not cover them, you could pay $50 for one container of compounded product, or $1,320 for two bottles of AndroGel. This is a REAL example.
