Trailing Thoughts

Working in a retail pharmacy, I am aware of the high costs for prescriptions. It really upsets me when I know people are choosing between food and their medication…. But is the cost really that high compared with the benefits new technology brought us?
It appears that Europeans are spending 60% less per capita than Americans on prescription drugs. So this is a good thing right? Or is there a hidden cost? There are more drug innovation in the US. Though many of the clinical studies are not based in the US, most of the money for drug innovation comes from the US. The US has come up with 81 new drug molecules, compared to the 44 the Europeans developed in a 4 year period. Additionally, in the US, there is an increase in high- value jobs created in the pharmaceutical industry, compared to Europe which is good for the US economy.
At one point in time, both the US and European research and development expenditures were equal. But the US spends more now, and this is resulting a “brain drain” in Europe. Many of the European drug innovators moved to the US.
The Europeans are also delayed with the best cutting edge technologies, the time it takes to launch a new drug in Europe is approximately 33% longer than the time it takes in the US.
These might not seem like good reasons to say that the high costs of prescription drugs are well founded, but it is something to consider.
There is no answer to solve the issues of the high costs for drugs. It takes a lot of money and time to develop a drug that can be used. The answer is not reducing the cost, but controlling the issues. The government should get involved, but how is the question. Once they start to limit innovation, American will lose the edge that it has on the cutting edge of prescription drug development.
This is just my opinion after reading an article on the costs of prescriptions in the US. It still breaks my heart to see people not able to get the needed medication. This is a whole other issue to address later.