Availability of medication is a matter of life and death for most people, more so those suffering from chronic and acute conditions. In the context of pharmaceutical products, availability includes both the presence of the product in the market and its affordability. The mere presence of medication in the local pharmacy does not make a difference to a suffering or dying patient who cannot afford it. Further, the high prices of pharmaceutical products in America does not necessarily reflect better quality to the consumers. From a broader perspective, pharmaceutical pricing is an issue for all Americans, not just those who cannot afford expensive medication (Kuchler, 2019). There is a moral and ethical issue relating to exploiting the suffering for pecuniary gain. Conversely, non-affordability of medication adversely affects the general health of all even as it hurts the economy.
Drug Price Comparison with other Countries
From diverse perspectives of comparison, pharmaceutical products in the USA are more expensive than almost any other nation around the world. Most importantly, the USA has higher drug prices than other developed countries including Canada and the European Union. According to statistics published by the US government, drug prices in the UK are as low as 34%, in Italy 28%, in France 32%, and in Germany it stands at 38%, compared to the prices in the USA (US HHS, 2018). Further, insulin consumers in the USA have indicated that insulin prices across the border in Canada are as low as 10% of those in the USA (Kuchler, 2019). Evidently, some of the lower prices stem from generic medication. However, most of the generic medication in developed countries are as effective as the patented medication. Most importantly, a suffering patient focuses more on relief, than trademarks.
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Higher Pricing does not Reflect better Quality
An important component of drug prices from the perspective of the consumer lies in the fact that the higher prices paid by American patients does not reflect better quality medication. Therefore, American patients pay more for the same quality of drugs as other patients in the developed world (Ellis, 2019). Among the causes of higher prices in the USA is the issue of patents. Pharmaceutical companies who develop specific drugs, including lifesaving ones are able to get long-term patents. The patents allow such companies to set drug prices almost unilaterally (Ellis, 2019). Normally, such prices do not reflect the cost of producing the drug or the value that the drug provides for the patients. A complex bureaucracy involving wholesalers, retailers, insurance companies and other intermediaries also contribute to the high pricing (US HHS, 2018). It would be plausible to argue that drug patents in the US are a conduit for patient exploitation.
The Moral and Ethical Argument
The fact that marketers use drugs that make a difference between life and death or whose absence causes extreme harm to patient, to exploit patients raise a moral and ethical issue. In some cases, middle-class Americans have run bankrupt due to high medical costs driven, inter alia, by the cost of drugs (Banegas et al., 2016). Further, the lack of sufficient drugs such as insulin also causes wanton suffering for patients. For example, a young mother recently explained how she splits insulin rations meant for one child to three of her children because that is all she can afford (Kuchler, 2019). Other patients have had complications because they can only afford complete doses of their prescription. It is reprehensible that a civilized community allows such iniquitousness on its citizenry.
The Economic Argument
It is important to note that the high drug prices problem in the USA is not limited to the poor or those without good insurance covers. For a start, many middle-class Americans end up in bankruptcy due to chronic illness, inter alia, due to high drug prices. Conversely, drug prices take a large chunk of monies that employers and government agencies set apart for healthcare purposes (Ellis, 2019). If drug prices were lower, such monies would find better use in research and public health projects. Finally, a failure to access drugs due to prices exacerbates medical conditions (Kuchler, 2019). When the conditions become critical, such patients will then get access to treatment at government facilities but at exponentially high cost. In some cases, even after spending high amounts of money to treat such patients, they still either pass on or have to live with major health limitations. For example, rationing insulin may lead to complications that cause the amputation of limbs, that lead to blindness or that require kidney or liver transplants (Kuchler, 2019). It would make more economic sense to avail medication for such patients in good time.
Conclusion
It is evident that inordinately high drug prices are a manifest problem for the US populace. Drug prices are not only higher than those of American contemporaries in the developed world but are also unaffordable for some patients. Further, even for those patients who can afford the high prices, spending money on inordinately expensive drugs takes funds away from other worthy healthcare-based expenses. An unfortunate factor about the high prices of drugs in America is the inordinateness. The prices neither reflect the value for the drugs to the consumers, nor the cost of producing the drugs. These high prices stem, inter alia, from patents by drug manufacturers and a complex web of intermediaries. The resultant high prices lead to deaths, suffering and economic problems to American as a community. It is high time that all stakeholders came together to solve the high drug problem in America.
References
Banegas, M. P., Guy Jr, G. P., de Moor, J. S., Ekwueme, D. U., Virgo, K. S., Kent, E. E., ... & Yabroff, K. R. (2016). For working-age cancer survivors, medical debt and bankruptcy create financial hardships. Health Affairs , 35 (1), 54-61.
Ellis, L. D. (2019, March 14). The Need to Treat the Ailing U.S. Pharmaceutical Pricing System. Retrieved from https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/ecpe/united-states-pharmaceutical-pricing/
Kuchler, H. (2019, September 19). Why prescription drugs cost so much more in America. Retrieved from https://www.ft.com/content/e92dbf94-d9a2-11e9-8f9b-77216ebe1f17
US HHS (2018). Comparison of US and International Prices for Top Medicare Part B Drugs by Total Expenditures. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, October , 25 . US Department of Health and Human Services .
