Do drug companies deliberately stretch out their drugs to be longer and more expensive for the patient?

Probably, I’d guess they make it more of setting the “recommended dosage” at the high end of what’s needed for efficacy.

And certainly they don’t have in mind “We want to make it more expensive for the patient”.
What they have in mind is maximizing profits, they don’t care who pays for that.

The government of the US makes it possible for the drug companies to charge whatever price they want, and nobody can say or do anything about it. It is the law. And that makes it legal government sanctioned extortion. Pay up or die.

@kritiper

Did you see the 60 Mins. report this past Sun. where a group of oncologists went public in the NY Times with their criticism of the drug companies for charging such exhorbitant amounts for some of the newest and most expensive cancer drugs?

Shortly after that prices were lowered without all the usual BS about recouping their investment, research, bla bla bla.

If not you can catch it on the CBS site. It’s a little but at least it’s a start.

Not long ago I asked a pharmacist the difference between Prilosec (which has been on the market long enough to have a generic equivalent) and Nexium (that has no generic). He said, “Basically nothing. When the exclusive ran out on Prilosec, they added a little ingredient and got a new exclusive.” And a new Rx window. Now that Nexium is over-the-counter, they’re about to need to add something again.

Better yet, I was in CVS on a later date and I asked the pharmacist there which product was nearly identical to Nexium but with a generic equivalent. She acted as though she didn’t understand. I explained that I had forgotten the name of the precursor to Nexium, the one the company modified to create Nexium and get a new patent. That made her kind of huffy…either I was dissing drugs or I was telling her her business. Finally I said, “Listen, I was told that by another pharmacist, and I just want the generic.” “Oh”. she says. “Then you might mean Prilosec.”
Sheesh. Close ranks.

@Buttonstc Yes, I saw that. Didn’t surprise me in the least! The damn hospitals, doctors and other health organizations are just as bad, the greedy bastards…