$168,000. (Al-Faruque, 2014) I would not be willing to pay such a huge amount to treat …show more content…
“If you are making $3 billion a year on Gleevec, could you get by with
$2 billion?” Dr. Druker, who is now director of the Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon
Health and Science University, said in an interview. “When do you cross the line from essential profits to profiteering?” (Pollack, 2013) Why try to extend the life of a patient if they can’t afford to live? Many doctors are now asking this same question, and seeking alternatives for their patients.
Why aren’t more alternatives available? One answer is you can’t put a patent on nature. There are natural medications that have similar effects as the prescription medications on the market. Many doctors will not disclose that fact because they are programmed to push the pharmaceuticals, and often times receive kick-backs from the drug manufacturers for prescribing their drugs. Everyone involved benefits financially from the drug makers, except the patients. Where do we draw the line, and can we? The insurance companies have started the fight and doctors are pushing for lower costs. As a society, we can stand up to the big Pharmaceuticals and demand prices that patients can actually afford. The question is how much is too much before we