The secret to breaking down the high price of prescription drugs

WPXI.com News Staff
·4 min read

An investigation has uncovered the secret to many newer name-brand medications. Some of these medicines are a combination of two or three established drugs, which are often available in generic form. And in many of these cases, you can substitute the prescription or over-the-counter medication for a cheaper version of the same drug.

Prices on more than 1,200 prescriptions rose an average of 31.6% in the last year with an average price increase of $250 each, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.

So to save money, certified pharmacist Kevin Duane said there is a simple and safe way to save on many name-brand drugs. He is a committee member of the Florida Pharmacy Association and owns and operates the oldest pharmacy in Jacksonville.

He said drugs often don’t have to cost so much, but it’s a tactic Big Pharma uses to make money. “Because of rebates or incentives that your insurance company can get,” he said, “the brand name medicine ends up being the one that’s given to you instead of a generic medicine.”

But often, Duane said name brands are just two generics put together and repackaged as a way for Big Pharma to extend patents and keep costs high. He said, “It’s perfectly fine to split it up into two non-name brand meds and save a lot of money in doing so.”

Duane said instead of the diabetes drug Avandamet, you can take a combination of Avandia and metformin for a cost savings of more than $350 a month.

The diet pill Contrave costs hundreds of dollars a month. But if you take its two ingredients separately, bupropion and naltrexone, it’ll cost you less than $30.

For high blood pressure, instead of costly Benicar HCT, you can use a combination of Olmesartan and hydrochlorothiazide. The substitution would save you hundreds a month.

All it takes is a simple conversation with your pharmacist, who would then get approval from your doctor. In many cases, Duane said the generics are made by the same name-brand manufacturer. It works for over-the-counter drugs, too. The prescription drug Duexis costs $30 a pill.

“That is actually a combination of ibuprofen and famotidine- Pepcid, that’s the over-the-counter drug for heartburn. ... I’ve seen somewhere it saved people hundreds of dollars per month to do this,” Duane said.

Duane said the practice of folding two or three generics into one name-brand pill that’s more expensive happens most frequently with drugs that treat common issues. So, people who suffer from diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol should check with their doctor or pharmacist about breaking down their prescription and saving money.

Possible substitutions

The following are possible substitutions you can take to save money, but you should discuss them with your doctor first:

  • Actoplus Met — instead, take a combination of Actos and Metformin.

  • Avandamet — instead, take a combination of Avandia and Metformin.

  • Avandaryl — instead, take a combination of Avandia and Glimepiride.

  • Duetact — instead, take a combination of Actos and Glimepiride.

  • Glucovance — instead, take a combination of Glyburide and Metformin.

  • Janumet — instead, take a combination of Januvia and Metformin.

  • Metaglip — instead, take a combination of Glipizide and Metformin.

  • PrandiMet — instead, take a combination of Prandin and Metformin.

  • Lotrel — instead, take a combination of Amlodipine and Benazepril.

  • Exforge — instead, take a combination of Amlodipine and Valsartan.

  • Twynsta — instead, take a combination of Amlodipine and Telmisartan.

  • Avalide — instead, take a combination of Irbesartan and HCTZ.

  • Diovan HCT — instead, take a combination of Valsartan and HCTZ.

  • Hyzaar — instead, take a combination of Losartan and HCTZ.

  • Benicar HCT — instead, take a combination of Olmesartan and Hydrochlorothiazide.

  • Contrave — instead, take a combination of Bupropion and Naltrexone.

  • Treximet — instead, take a combination of Naproxen and Sumatriptan.

Courtesy of Emily Turner and Maria Tomasch, CMG-Jacksonville

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW

TRENDING NOW:

LIVE UPDATES: John Fetterman wins Pennsylvania seat in Senate race, NBC News projects ELECTION RESULTS: Here are the latest results from the Pennsylvania Election Tropical Storm Nicole: Storm nearing hurricane strength as it moves closer to Florida coast VIDEO: 11 News looks into issues with Powerball tickets, drawing DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts