The cost for common drug "cocktails" is even worse. If a
bipolar child is prescribed a middle dose of the mood stabilizers Topamax and
Lamictal, the yearly cost would be $23,220. If Seroquel is added, at a cost of
$24,000, along with the ADHD drug Concerta at $7,812, and Neurontin at $4,860,
one bipolar child would make Pharma $59,892 a year based on 2011 prices at DrugStore.com. No wonder
Pharma wants us, the taxpayers, to pick up the tab.
Of course the Pharma buzz is that pills are cheaper than "talk therapy." But the $24 billion a year the US spends on antidepressants and antipsychotics alone would enable 240,000 psychotherapists to provide 6 million hours of psychotherapy according to one journal article. Nor would the therapists require faux patient groups.
END
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
1
1
