Why is Zofran so expensive?

Discussion in 'GlaxoSmithKline' started by Anonymous, Dec 31, 2007 at 1:38 PM.

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  1. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    Just bought 20 generic Zofran pills and it cost $45.00 ($95.00 to my pharmacy manager). My question is why is it so expensive as it has been generic over a year and so any generic company can now manufacturer it? Is there a certain chemical in the drug that makes it expensive or a certain process? I guess I shouldn't complain as it would have cost me about $1,000 to fill this presciption when there wasn't a generic equivalent.

    Thanks for any information
     

  2. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    Sounds like a pretty good price for the generic. Zofran was always expensive because unlike blood pressure or cholesterol pills which patients stay on forever patients people taking Zofran hopefully only have to take a couple of courses of chemotherapy in their lifetime.
     
  3. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest


    Ask you're pharmacist why he jacks up the price on generic's. What do you think keeps all these pharmacy's open?
     
  4. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    We have to cover our losses with Avandia somehow.
     
  5. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest


    first of all- fuck you.

    Secondly- generics now cost a lot more than years ago as the gen cos realize just what a good deal they have- people are happy not having to pay the brand price, and get a steep, although not as steep as years ago, discount. Pharmacies are not making as much as you think.
     
  6. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    pharm here- If you go back 15-20 years ago, generics provided a much greater discount to the consumer than today. When Lasix and Valium went down, there were almost 90% savings realized. As more drugs were approved, the price went up more and more. Finally it was not uncommon for some tablets to go for over $3 a day versus $1-2 a day in the past. Generic companies realized they did not have to discount as greatly as in the past as people were happy to not pay the full amount so they charged more and pharmacies had to as well. Prilosec was about $150(?) a month but omerprazole went for like $120(!) Not much of a break but it was a break anyway you looked at it. Take care.
     
  7. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    The last part of your post answers your own question. The $95 represents nearly a 90% decrease from the branded price, so that is a substantial savings. Second, more than likely you didn't get GSK brand Zofran, but one of the many generics out there, so you would need to ask that company why they didn't cut the price down further.

    Zofran started off as a very effective IV drug for chemotherapy nausea and vomiting, and it was not cheap. When the oral pills came out their price is relative to what the IV prices were. As someone else posted, it is usually for a short course of therapy as well.

    If you are taking Zofran during abattle with cancer, good luck with your treatment. Having called on oncology offices for many years, I offer you one comment. Oncology nurses are amazing, caring people. Get to know them and trust that they will take good care of you. Don't be afraid to let them know about any side effects that you think you might be having.
     
  8. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    It probably means either, that (1)there is minimal competition on the generic...or that (2) there is collusion among the generic companies to keep prices up. Or, it could mean (3) collusion among pharmacies to keep prices up. Any way you look at it, someone is making alot of money on a drug for which they had to do nothing but prove bioequivalence on. Pretty sweet!
     
  9. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    I checked the orange book website and there are about 5 different companies making the generic 8 mg product. Sounds like the generic companies are making a unofficial pact to keep prices high although I don't blame them. It doesn't help the company one bit to let prices fall to a dollar a pill.
     
  10. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    GSK doesn't get a dime of revenue on the generic nimwit
     
  11. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    Based on the earlier posts, how is it "keeping the prices high" when the price has decreased 90 percent?
     
  12. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    It has to cover the costs of sending all those high paid execs. over the ocean for the Holidays.
     
  13. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    Execs of the generic companies maybe, but GSK gets nothing from when generic Zofran is sold.
     
  14. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    If you taking ondansetron, you must be a chemo patient? Isn't it worth not praying to the porcelan(sic) throne? When we launched the drug in the late 80's, chemo nurses and patients were VERY GLAD to have it. Thank the chemists for discovering it!!!!

    Besides, we had to pay Carl Pelzel's salary
     
  15. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    This is funny. Anyhway, whatever happened to that clown Pelzel? Wasn't he in the HIV arena for a while?
     
  16. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    A few points: when Zofran went generic, there were over 30 (thirty) companies who filed to make the generic - some chose tablet, some chose ODT, some chose solution and one chose 32mg IV bag. OP doesnt say which he went for. This was more than any other agent has faced, sales dropped to 5% overnight.

    2nd point - price is down 95% from where it was when we were marketing it.

    3rd point - Although sales of actual Zofran are minimal, GSK DO get income through the Authorised Generic ondansetron, made by Sandoz. However this is minimal. In 2006, GSK grosse $1.85 Billion from Zofran, in 2007, this was down to around $120 million (not far behind Hycamtin).

    Finally - sales of Zofran for Chemo Induced Nausea and Vomiting only represented ¬1/3 of Zofran sales - Post-op, and off label use (morning sickness, motion sickness, hangover etc).

    GREAT GREAT drug that I am proud to have marketed.
     
  17. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    Because they have us selling it. And we are worth so much. That is why they pay us shit loads of money.
     
  18. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    OP - Yes, a wonderful product that will keep you from wretching and therefore able to maintain your nutrition, electrolyte balance, and not become frighteningly thin and weak at 4.50/pill is really not a bad deal. I remember my neighbor who was 16 years-old suffering through chemotherapy, unable to eat normally for weeks because of the nausea. There are people willing to pay $95.00 for high-speed DSL each month, cable TV, plasma screens, club memberships, but GOD FORBID they pay for decent medicines. People do not want to accept that profits go to companies who make medicines that offer innovations to keep them alive, yet they applaud profits that go to Coca Cola, Frito Lay, Kraft - companies making products sure to kill you outright. The generic you bought is a bargain. Go celebrate life somewhere.
     
  19. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    Great Reply. The main reason zofran is so expensive is that thankfully most people only have to undergo a few treatments of chemotherapy in their lifetime and the expense is minimal compared to the billions people spend on other pharmaceutical products.
     
  20. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    First of all fuck you mr/mrs pharmacist. Generic drug companies are bottom feeders that spend NO, I repeat NO money on research and development so therefore the drug shouldn't cost as much since ther are no research costs to recoup. Take a look at your economics books and tell me the what it takes to break even on 10-15 years of research and development.....or did you sleep through that class? Drug companies sell drugs to retail pharmacies at an AWP and what the hell you do with it after that is up to you. I laugh my ass off when people say drug companies sell meds for too much money. Let me run a scenario past you.... say GSK drops the AWP price of ANY of its drugs 20%... will you pass that 20% savings on to the consumer or does it mean 20% more profit in your pocket? I think we all know the answer.