Denis Frent

Mrs. Gordon
English 101/102
December 1, 2015
The Cruelty of the monopoly on medicine
In the American economy, the US government allows a small monopoly to
exist on the retail of pharmaceutical drugs. The reason for the acceptance of the
monopoly, is because the government justifies their actions by saying that, the
monopolies give the producers incentives to create new, and efficient drugs, for
retail to customers. The good thing is that in order for these companies to have
their monopolies, they need to file for a patent. The patent process requires for the
FDA to review the drug to make sure that it is safe, which is a positive for the
people. The good thing is that the patents can expire, which is a good step towards
the right direction, however it isnt enough. The government needs to monitor the
prices for new medicines, so that everyone has the opportunity to use this new drug
regardless of the age, class, or gender.
Currently the patents have an expiration date for 20 years from the date
filled, however trough some corrupt bargaining, it can be extended for up to another
7 years of complete control. A CEO of a pharmaceutical company had this to say
about raising the cost of a medication from $13.50 to 750$, I am a capitalist who
plays to win. This goes to show that some people dont care about the wellbeing of
others and would rather benefit off of the misfortunes of the people that cant afford
to pay for the drug. If the government chooses to regulate the drug market, it would
eliminate these massive price spikes, because there would be a max price that the
government could set. That would be fair to the customer, as well as the producer,
to keep them making new medicines.
An estimated 45,000 people die each year in the United States because they
cant afford the treatment that they need. Another example of the insanely high
prices of medicine in the US market is, a drug called Nexium is sold in excess of
$200 in the US, where as in a country such as Netherlands it can be found to be sold
as little as $23. Compared to the US market, thats almost 9 times as expensive in
the US. Another study shows that 1 in 5 people cant get refills on their prescriptions
because it is too expensive. One out of five people in the US accounts for a total of
63.78 million Americans that cant get the medicine they need because of the
greediness of the drug companies. 13% of children in America cant get the
medicine they need just because of the insanely high prices. Out of these 13%,
many of their symptoms only get worse and can have a potentially fatal effect, and
lead to more destructive effects on their health.
Many of these people want to buy their medicine, but for them its just too
darn expensive. Some of them are forced to resort to stealing the medicine they
need, which only hurts them, and the producer. As stated before, over 45,000
people die in the US from lack of funds, and many people eventually resort to

stealing the medicine, just because they cant afford it. The government should just
take over and set their own prices to promote the fairness in the economy.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/kleptomania/basics/symptoms/con20033010
http://www.drugwatch.com/2014/10/15/americans-pay-higher-prices-prescriptiondrugs/