"Free" Samples at a Cost

What is the most expensive drug my doctor can give me?

The most expensive drug your doctor can give you is a FREE sample. How can this be the most expensive drug if it’s free? The answer is that once you have used the samples, you then have to get a prescription filled at the pharmacy to continue treatment. The samples you were given were of a brand name only drug. You’ll never see a generic drug on a pen or coffee cup from the drug  manufacturer. Why? Generic drugs are inexpensive. Only brand name drugs are given as samples from the doctor’s office. When you go to the pharmacy for  your brand name drug, you and your insurance company will both be paying more money. You will have a brand name copay, and your insurance company will have to pay more money to the pharmacy. This will happen every month  you get your prescription filled. How else will the drug manufacturer recoup the money that was used for the thousands of pens and mugs they gave away free to healthcare providers? If you’re a patient on Medicare D, what happens when you hit your donut hole and you have to pay for that brand name drug out of  pocket 100%? Another concerning issue is from the standpoint of safety. Generic drugs were  once brand name drugs. They too were brand name only and sold at higher  copays and prices until their patents expired. However, if they are still on the market, this demonstrates both the drug’s safety and efficacy through  post-marketing surveillance. The new brand name drug that you get samples  of has recently hit the market and is still not known whether it is 100% safe.  Look at Vioxx, Bextra, Propulsid, and Baycol. All of them made it through  three stages of clinical trials and were granted FDA approval for being safe and  effective, yet when they were given to people nationwide, there were some major  problems with safety concerns. So who’s to say this sample brand name drug you were recently given won’t be subject to the same scrutiny a year from now? It’s  scary when you think about the possibilities. Generic drugs offer therapeutic  results with lower costs to both the patient and insurance company alike and have  been proven safe because they have been on the market for many years and are still being prescribed. Generic utilization drives down the cost of prescription  drugs period. A brand name drug may be needed to treat your condition but  ask your prescriber to consider trying a generic first..