Prices on Frequently Prescribed Drugs are 900% Higher in the U.S. than those Available Internationally

Lucia Mueller at PharmacyChecker does a great job on this latest drug price analysis. It shows that prices on frequently prescribed drugs are 900% higher in the U.S. than those available internationally.

You read that right. And, yes, it’s insane.

900% higher.

Key findings from the report reveal the following:

• Fourteen out of the top 20 most-searched-for medications on PharmacyChecker.com in 2022 are sold internationally from PharmacyChecker-accredited online pharmacies, which are accessible to patients in the U.S.
• Four drugs were generics not yet available in the U.S. at local pharmacies.
• One drug, Ozempic, was not available for international order from PharmacyChecker-accredited online pharmacies (due to the PharmacyChecker Verification Program’s strict policies on the shipping of products requiring refrigeration.)
• One drug, dextroamphetamine, was not available for international order due to the PharmacyChecker Verification Program policy to not grant accreditation to pharmacies that ship controlled substances internationally into the United States.
• Average U.S. pharmacy retail prices were on average 901.90% higher than international mail-order pharmacy prices.
• One drug out of the fifteen available for international mail order, Apoquel, was cheaper to purchase domestically.
• Four of the generics available on U.S. pharmacy shelves have manufacturing sources in India.
• Eighty-one percent of the surveyed medication sold in U.S. pharmacies is manufactured outside the U.S.