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I ran across a story in the acclaimed “medical journal”, International Business Times, about how an old PMS medication from the 60s might be an Alzheimer's cure. Considering the source, I don't put a ton of stock in the story but it was interesting enough to look around a little more. That led me first to wikipedia to learn a little more about the drug in question (sounds like it has nasty side effects), which is when I got totally sidetracked:
Mefenamic acid is generic and is available worldwide under many brand names.[5]
In the USA, wholesale price of a week's supply of generic mefenamic acid has been quoted as $426.90 in 2014. Brand-name Ponstel is $571.70.[15] In contrast, in the UK, a weeks supply is £1.66, or £8.17 for branded Ponstan.[16] In the Philippines, 10 tablets of 500 mg generic mefenamic acid cost PHP39.00 (or the equivalent of $0.88USD) as of October 25, 2014.
The numbers in wikipedia may be extreme, but not by much. Looking online, I see that thirty 250mg tablets cost at least $111 at Walmart. In an almost direct reversal of the quantity and price numbers, one hundred 250mg tablets cost $35 from a UK manufacturer, but to get the drug at that price, you must break Federal law.
The rest of my comment would be a long string of expletives which I shall omit.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by hemocyanin on Monday August 15 2016, @03:12AM
Or how about this -- what's good for the goose is good for the gander -- if it's OK to ship all of our good paying jobs out the country, the people should at least be able to import cheap products without facing Federal criminal charges. All of our "free trade" deals are really just rigged trade that screw the common person.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 15 2016, @03:15AM
I'm down with that. Medical tourism just got expanded to the US Postal Service. Easy, clean, and what the hell, let the FDA open an office through which doctors and patients can get drugs tested for purity. Or the DEA. Whichever.