I’m sure that most of you have seen those pleasant television commercials with the late Arnold Palmer, may he rest in peace, for that wonder drug named Pradaxa for atrial fibrillation. Somehow, they forget to mention the cost of Pradaxa. In the United States the cost for a year is about $120,000! If your afib doesn’t give you a stroke the cost of your medication certainly will. And how much does exactly the same branded medication cost in Canada? About $1000 per year.
How can this be, you say? Hold your horses, I’m going to tell you. It’s because in Canada, in order to receive a patent, you must negotiate a fair price that you will charge. In this country, this is where “trickle down economics” really does work. The fat politicians place numerous obstacles in the way of any negotiations with the fat Pharmas regarding price. So the $120,000 per year per patient goes into fat Pharma’s vaults and then trickles down into the campaign vaults of their co-conspirators, the fat politicians, or, as they call themselves., “public servants”.
