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posted by janrinok on Tuesday January 14 2020, @02:35AM   Printer-friendly
from the states'-rights-eh-eh? dept.

California considers selling its own generic prescription drugs:

California could become the first state to introduce its own brand of generic prescription drugs in an effort to drag down stratospheric healthcare costs. The plan for state-branded drugs is part of California Gov. Gavin Newsom's budget proposal, which he is expected to unveil Friday, January 10.

"A trip to the doctor's office, pharmacy or hospital shouldn't cost a month's pay," Newsom said in a statement. "The cost of healthcare is just too damn high, and California is fighting back." A plan for California to sell its own drugs would "take the power out of the hands of greedy pharmaceutical companies," Newsom said, according to the Associated Press.

Under the plan, the state would contract with one or more generic drug companies, which would manufacture select prescription drugs under a state-owned label, according to an overview of the plan reported by the Los Angeles Times. Those state generics would presumably be offered to Californians at a lower price than current generics, which could spark more competitive pricing in the market overall.

So far, much of the plan's details are unclear, though, including which drugs might be sold and how much money they could save residents and the state.

The conceptual plan so far has garnered both praise and skepticism from health industry experts.

Anthony Wright, executive director of the advocacy group Health Access California, told the Associated Press that "Consumers would directly benefit if California contracted on its own to manufacture much-needed generic medications like insulin—a drug that has been around for a century yet the price has gone up over tenfold in the last few decades."


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 14 2020, @03:16PM (5 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 14 2020, @03:16PM (#943096)

    Because the government made it illegal to sell the cheaper insulin. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/why_people_with_diabetes_cant_buy_generic_insulin [hopkinsmedicine.org]

    Jeez, people in this thread must live in a fog of confusion.

  • (Score: 2) by epitaxial on Tuesday January 14 2020, @04:45PM (4 children)

    by epitaxial (3165) on Tuesday January 14 2020, @04:45PM (#943129)

    From your link:

    A generic version of insulin, the lifesaving diabetes drug used by 6 million people in the United States, has never been available in this country because drug companies have made incremental improvements that kept insulin under patent from 1923 to 2014

    Unless the physiology of humans has been changing there is no reason for that. Why is the USA literally the only country in the world with this problem?

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 14 2020, @06:37PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 14 2020, @06:37PM (#943178)

      Because it is the seat of the world empire so the federal government attracts all the most corrupt people?

    • (Score: 2) by Coward, Anonymous on Tuesday January 14 2020, @06:39PM (1 child)

      by Coward, Anonymous (7017) on Tuesday January 14 2020, @06:39PM (#943181) Journal

      Americans want the good stuff. Apparently the type of insulin [ucsf.edu] ("Activity Profile" graph) affects how often it needs to be injected. I'm no expert, but that seems like an important factor.

      • (Score: 2) by barbara hudson on Tuesday January 14 2020, @09:04PM

        by barbara hudson (6443) <barbara.Jane.hudson@icloud.com> on Tuesday January 14 2020, @09:04PM (#943262) Journal
        Only idiots still use anything with a longer activity profile than NPH. But the marketing beast needs to be fed. Also the chart is grossly inaccurate. NPH stays active up to 24 hours - see the product insert. - not "more than 12 hours." Take it at bedtime, skip breakfast and lunch , and pass out in the afternoon because it's still being absorbed by the body. 24-28 hours is more accurate. Same as regular insulin is active for 12 hours, so if you skip meals in either case, figuring it's "out of your system " you can be in for a nasty surprise.

        I remember when the analogues first came on the market, higher cost, no real benefits , so even though the higher cost was covered, I refused. Not going to change something that works just fine - seems that many people get caught up with the "it's newer, it's more expensive, it must be better " marketing hype. If your blood sugar is already within norms, changing it won't help, and if it's not, you should be changing your eating and activity levels to fix the problem. Your body will thank you for not having to pee every 8 hours or less.

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    • (Score: 2) by barbara hudson on Tuesday January 14 2020, @08:47PM

      by barbara hudson (6443) <barbara.Jane.hudson@icloud.com> on Tuesday January 14 2020, @08:47PM (#943253) Journal
      Generics have nothing to do with the high cost of insulin in the USA. Canada sells the same brand names for 90% less. That's why you won't find generic insulin on the Canadian market - no rapacious prices allowed for the name brands means no real market for generic insulin. You're going to get funny looks in a Canadian pharmacy asking for generic insulin. Probably have to special order it and it will cost more.
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