Soaring Ointment Prices Are a Dermatologic Mystery By KATIE THOMAS August 9, 2012
They are the staples of most dermatology practices: generic creams and ointments that treat everything from skin rashes to athlete's foot to scabies. Many doctors prescribe the drugs without a second thought. But increasingly, some dermatologists say, patients are complaining about a recent, mysterious and rapid rise in price. Take betamethasone dipropionate, a cream used to relieve itchy skin. In 2008, a tube cost $18.17. The medicine now costs $71.28, according to Red Book, which tracks wholesale drug prices. Permethrin cream, which kills scabies mites, cost $29.25 in 2008 but has jumped to $71.08 today. The hefty price increases have stumped doctors and their patients. "It seems to me that something is going on, but I don't have quantitative details," said Dr. Steven R. Feldman, a professor of dermatology at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C. "I wouldn't have thought that these old-timey, generic drugs would be very costly." ... http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/10/business/prescription-skin-creams-jump-in-price.html _______________________________________________ Please be sure to include a URL to the article. Reply to the sender with a "Thank you" if you like this post. _______________________________________________ Medianews mailing list [email protected] http://lists.etskywarn.net/mailman/listinfo/medianews
