Cancer kills about 600,000 people in the United States each year. It is currently one of the leading causes of death, but it used to be much worse.
With the availability of medications and therapies, a lot more people survive their bouts with cancer than before. But that can be a curse as much as a blessing, since cancer treatment, medications, and therapies are so expensive. Even if you survive, you end up in mounds of debt.
Why is cancer medication so expensive, though? What causes this erroneous situation? Read on to find out more about the reasons for this expensive medicine.
Research and Development Costs a Lot of Money
According to pharmaceutical companies, the primary reason for the high cost of cancer medication is the enormous amount of money that goes into researching and developing (R&D) a new medication. It’s not as simple as releasing a new pair of sunglasses or a new food item.
Hundreds of hours of research and testing go into producing any new drug. This can take dozens of years and the pharmaceutical companies end up spending millions of dollars every time they develop a new cancer drug.
Not only that but for every successful drug that is produced, many other failures didn’t amount to anything. All those costs have to be recovered as well.
Thus, these companies justify charging exorbitant amounts of money for their cancer medicine, because they have to recoup the costs somehow.
Pharmaceutical companies are in the medicine business because they want to make a profit. They are not going to give away their expensive cancer medicine for pennies on the dollar, just because folks could die without the drug. It’s a business they are running, a business that could fail if they priced their cancer drugs too cheaply.
So you might look at the situation and think how dare they charge so much for cancer drugs but think about it this way. The drugs they produce have extended the life of cancer patients by quite a bit. Some people can live 2-3 times longer using these drugs than before.
There Are Also Other Reasons for High Cancer Treatment Costs
Don’t forget that you aren’t going to be dealing with the cost of cancer medication alone. Since doctors take so long to complete their training and everyone wants a highly trained oncologist (doctors who treat cancer), then their training costs are added into the equation as well.
Also, hospitals have to spend enormous amounts of money to ensure that their facilities are state-of-the-art, with expensive equipment that’s up to standard. Lots of time and effort are spent creating comfortable patient rooms and other such structures. All that takes money which is tacked onto cancer treatment (and other treatment) costs as well.
Someone has to pay for all this. And even though the government subsidizes some of the costs for pharmaceutical companies and hospitals, a lot of it falls upon the fragile shoulders of cancer patients and their medical insurance companies.
Some Good News Regarding Cancer Medication Costs
It isn’t all bad news when it comes to cancer medication and its appalling costs. As time passes by, and pharmaceutical companies can recoup some of their R&D costs for cancer drugs, they do reduce the price of these drugs.
As new drugs are being developed all the time and older drugs are not as effective as the new ones, they become cheaper and more affordable. Drug patents only last for 20 years, during which pharmaceutical companies will charge higher prices for cancer drugs to make back their investment and a bit more on top.
But as soon as the patent ends, it allows other companies to manufacture the same chemical compound. And that competition can drive down the cost of the cancer drug. That’s good news for anyone who needs cancer drugs to survive.
Be Creative About Where You Get Your Cancer Medication
Of course, if you can avoid needing the ‘cure’ in the first place, that would be ideal. This means eating a healthy diet, sleeping 7-8 hours a night, taking supplements, not having a sedentary lifestyle, and more.
But if you are already in the throes of your cancer treatment, then you will need to become a bit creative about finding cheaper cancer medication. You don’t want to spend the rest of your life paying for cancer drugs that cost an arm and a leg and put a strain on your family financially.
There are many cheaper cancer drug options available. But you would have to go outside the United States to find them.
Just across the border, Canadians enjoy the benefits of subsidized healthcare. Since the government is paying for everyone’s cancer treatment out-of-pocket, pharmaceutical companies aren’t allowed to charge exorbitant rates for cancer drugs.
The government regulates the drug price. The Patented Medicine Prices Review Board decides whether the price is reasonable enough for Canadians to afford their needed medication.
Canadian drug suppliers like Pharma Giant exclusively serve American patients. We provide American cancer patients access to cancer drugs at a heavily discounted rate.
Due to Canadian-American regulations, you can only buy a 3-month supply at one time. But even so, you will end up saving hundreds of thousands of dollars over your lifetime, using Pharma Giant to fulfill your cancer drug needs. To see exactly how much you can save on cancer drugs, check out our medications list here.
Use Your Valid Prescription to Buy Cheap Canadian Drugs
Just like you need a prescription to get drugs from a brick-and-mortar store in America, the same applies to Pharma Giant as well. Use your prescription to get many different types of cancer medication shipped directly to your home.
This way you can relax knowing that your illness isn’t going to butcher your family’s finances. You can also get your life back on track faster than if you relied upon expensive American drugs.
Ordering online with us is easy as 1-2-3. Try it out for yourself and see the difference it makes in your finances.