Posted by PB and J.C. (my dog) on June 10, 2000, at 17:03:27
In reply to Re: Generic Ritalin (methylphenid) Iodine? » PB and J.C. (my dog), posted by harry b. on June 9, 2000, at 20:05:10
HB:
There is a price differential. If memory serves,
Ritalin brand is about 30% more expensive than
generic methylphenidate - of course, that figure
can also vary depending on the pharmacy filling your
Rx (I've found that Rite-Aid Rx prices are more than
the same script at CVS).As with all medications, once a pharmaceutical
company loses its patent protection on their
drug, thereby enabling other companies to market
their generic equivalents, the original drug company
typically lowers the consumer cost of their brand
name drug. I don't know how long ago Novaritis (Ciba)
lost its patent protection on Ritalin, but I'm sure
their pricing structure was "revised" to better
compete with the generic manufacturers of methylphenidate.Another thought on drug prices: occasionally I'll
have to get a script refilled before the "75% used"
rule imposed by my insurance company (BC/BS). This
means I'll have to pay for the med out of my own pocket.
After I had to go this route several times, I noticed
that the TOTAL cost for meds when insurance is paying,
i.e., the insured patient copay PLUS the amount the
insurance company pays the pharmacy, is quite a bit lower than the TOTAL cost of the med
when paying cash. My pharmacist told me (and believe you me,
I know him well since he sees my ugly mug every week) that the
insurance companies negotiate price-caps with pharmacies
on covered meds. I was amazed - but probably just
naive to the fact that insurance companies possess
this type of clout.So ends my long response to your question! :-)
PB and J.C.
>
> Thanks for the info PB (& J.C.). I've been taking
> the generic, 30-40mg/day, and it certainly has
> not given me the boost I had hoped for. I see my
> pdoc Monday and will ask her about it.
>
> Do you recollect if there is a significant cost
> increase for the name brand?
> hb
poster:PB and J.C. (my dog)
thread:36096
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000610/msgs/36865.html