I HAVE A HEADACHE: Drug maker hikes price of 2-in-1 painkiller >2,000% — $36 drugs now $3,000.

A 60-pill bottle of the drug combo, Vimovo, cost $138 in 2013 when AstraZeneca sold it to Horizon. The bottle now costs $2,979 after Horizon raised the price on 11 occasions.
Vimovo is a combination of the common painkiller naproxen and esomeprazole. Naproxen is the active ingredient in Bayer’s over-the-counter painkiller Aleve. Bought separately, the two can cost as little as $36 total.
Horizon also makes the two-in-one painkiller Duexis, which pairs painkiller ibuprofen with the antacid famotidine. The company charges $2,979 for a 90-pill bottle, while the drugs would cost as little as $15 if bought separately.
Nevertheless, Duexis and Vimovo are sometimes covered by US health insurance companies. And Horizon made $134 million in sales from both products in the first nine months of 2017, Rea said.
Rea added that he saw no reason patients couldn’t simply take the separate, over-the-counter versions of the drugs. But a spokesperson for Horizon argued that “there are no FDA-approved generic, over-the-counter, or clinically equivalent medicines to Duexis and Vimovo, and any assertion otherwise is completely inaccurate.”

arstechnica.com/science/2018/02/price-of-2-in-1-drug-spikes-to-3000-separately-the-two-drugs-cost-36/
In other words, the price hikes are a side effect of over-regulation (two inexpensive drugs don’t have the FDA seal-of-approval that the combined drug does) and the insurance-for-everything model (which isolates consumers from the actual cost of particular items).
 
h/t SG

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9 thoughts on “I HAVE A HEADACHE: Drug maker hikes price of 2-in-1 painkiller >2,000% — $36 drugs now $3,000.”

  1. It is handy to save articles like this. Read the combo’s on some of these drugs on amounts used. Such as 30mg/60 mg. This is a command way of listings the drugs when more than one is used in a dose.
    And quite frankly, you want to read the drug insert sheets, that come with each drug. My wife took naproxen for 2 1/2 days, and couldn’t stand it anymore. i was concerned and didn’t want her using it as it was listed as being able to cause a heart attack in the first weeks use.

    Reply
  2. This reminds me of my neighbor who takes Ibuprofen and can’t get it up even if he wanted to. I told him that was a side effect of taking too much of that crap….so what does he do? takes more and complains louder………

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    • Didn’t know that was a side effect. I believe my Ibuprofen has been spiked with Viagra! Oh wait, I don’t take Ibuprofen. Must be something else. Can’t decide if it’s a gift or a curse.

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          • We’re still not quite on the same page, but it’s all good. I once read a study that showed that people that laugh the most have overall better health. I also contribute my good health to not taking pharmaceuticals such as Ibuprofen and restricting myself to a non GMO diet.

  3. “the price hikes are a side effect of over-regulation (two inexpensive drugs don’t have the FDA seal-of-approval that the combined drug does” <- That doesn't make sense, because the drugs must have approval both separately and together to be sold separately or together. Therefore it doesn't matter whether a company or an individual combines the drugs.

    Reply
  4. Trump could fix healthcare with one order —- return healthcare to NONPROFIT status…..
    Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush, Obama COULD have …… but NONE of them gave a DAMN about the American People…..
    Ryan & McConnell never intended to get rid of Obamacare they have had 7 years to write a replacement bill …. just like the (ANTI)Patriot Act was mysteriously already written and ready-to-go on 9/11 Remember Treasonous Ryan & Boehner took the debt ceiling off to give Obama a BLANK CHECK on your taxes.
    FIRST FUMIGATE the RINOneocons ……. get rid of every treasonous one of them.
    (1) TAKE AWAY Congress’s private care, put them on the same plan as the PEOPLE get.
    (2) Return all healthcare to pre-1973 nonprofit status.
    (3) Make all providers post their prices. All prices must be the same for insured & not.
    (4) Make the drug companies give Medicare, Medicaid, Americans the same prices they charge overseas.
    (5) Make healthcare fraud a Capital crime. Complete forfieture of ALL assets.
    http://investmentwatchblog.com/did-you-know-that-before-1973-it-was-illegal-in-the-us-to-profit-off-of-health-care-the-health-maintenance-organization-act-of-1973-passed-by-nixon-changed-everything/
    Did you know that before 1973 it was illegal in the US to profit off of health care. The Health Maintenance Organization Act of 1973 passed by Nixon changed everything.

    Reply

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