Many people are waiting with great anticipation. Jo Kelly, a retired social worker in Conklin, Mich., and her husband Ray, a retired railroad mechanic, each take Lipitor and two other brand-name medicines, plus some generic drugs. Both are 67, and they land in the Medicare prescription “doughnut hole,” which means they must pay their drugs’ full cost, by late summer or early fall each year. That pushes their monthly cost for Lipitor to about $95 each, and their combined monthly prescription cost to nearly $1,100. Generic Lipitor should hit pharmacies Nov. 30 and cost them around $10 each a month. “It would be a tremendous help for us financially,” she says. “It would allow us to start going out to eat again.” For people with no prescription coverage, the coming savings on some drugs could be much bigger. Many discount retailers and grocery chains sell the most popular generics for $5 a month or less to draw in shoppers.
What people faiil to realize is that most prescriptions (60-70%) are already filled generically...so the cost of medications is pretty low for alot of people
Where did you get quote of $10 for generic Lipitor? They may not happen. Not even all generic products now cost $10. I was given a quote of $52 for a generic cough medicine, out of pocket. The more popular generic products - amoxicillin, ibuprofen, etc may cost $5-10, not the recent unbranded. Good luck.
Anybody who pays more than $10 copay for a generic is a moron or is uninsured. Plus ANY former rep who cannot get free samples from their personal doc sucked as a rep!
Historically speaking when a brand name goes generic it is still fairly expensive compared to established genetics. Lipitor will probably hover around the $50 range forvthe first 8 months than drop in price as more companies manufacture the generic. This is just a historic guess and I have no proof it will happen to Lipitor, just saying what other drugs have gone through.
Did you read what the pp said? The drugs go off patent but it takes about a year for the generic companies competition to drive the cost down. EXR has been off patent for a year. That's a fact
Few points. Many insurances require co-pays on non-preferred generics of more than $10. For simple anti-biotics, $10 may be norm. For certain CNS products, $ higher. For pts without rx insurance, $10 is a dream. To refer to an uninsured person and one of moronic standing in the same breath shows your lack of maturity. 45 million people are without health insurance - you should look for ways to build them up, not insult them. Another point. Any former rep who relies on free samples for their healthcare is sad. Samples are intended for trials, not regular treatment. Ugh!