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So I was doing some research on common medications for a pharmacology class at school, and realized that Wikipedia is calling out the outrageous practices of pharmacological sales in the US. Right up there in the main intro to the medication they’re showing how much the drug costs to produce, versus how much a typical course of treatment costs in the USA.

Amoxicillin, a front line antibiotic, typically taken at one pill per day. 10 pills cost between 0.20 and 0.50 USD to produce, marked up at up to 80 times the price in the US.

Salbutamol, AKA an asthma puffer, on the World Health Organization’s List of Essential Medicines (considered to be the most important basic medications needed to be stocked by a pharmacy/hospital), a life saving medication.

How about oxygen? A tank of oxygen, used as a basic treatment for everything from low blood oxygen to respiratory failure to maintaining oxygen while administering anesthesia for an operation?

Epinephrine/adrenaline, AKA an epipen, given to people having a type of severe allergic reaction called anaphylaxis, where their airways swell and close up. A person in anaphylaxis will die without epinephrine/adrenaline. Costs at most $0.95 to produce, and they’re sold for $70 at the absolute cheapest for a single vial.

Naloxone/Narcan, used to stop an opioid overdose. $5.30, at most, to produce. $4500 to buy.

Bisoprolol/Zebeta, given for high blood pressure, angina (chest pain), and heart failure, sold at over 1000% it costs to produce.

The combined birth control pill, ethinylestradiol/levonorgestrel. 

Also, just so you’re aware, as of late Mat 2018, 1.80 GBP is 2.40 USD. For a three month supply of the pill. The same amount could cost you 150 USD in the United States.

The MMR vaccine, given to prevent mumps, measles, and rubella – diseases that could leave you deaf, blind, infertile.

Casual reminder that the for-pay medical system is vicious and morally bankrupt.

Emtricitabine/tenofovir is PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis), the daily pill you can take to protect yourself from HIV. But the people in the US who need it most struggle to access it because of price gouging by its manufacturer, Gilead Sciences.