Why prescription drugs are so expensive.
I’ve started my first round of Chantix, the pill that “attaches to key nicotine receptors in the brain and blocks nicotine” to aid in the overall getting well process. Luckily my insurance covered the pricy little crutch, reducing the price from $160 to $30 for the starter pack. You always wonder why they charge so much for scripts. Gouging the insurance industry, sticking it to the little man, or just because they can but this packaging is ridiculous.
The first impact is a rectangle box, full 4 color, 4 side bleed, custom die cut, assembly, and bindery, filled with four smaller boxes ala the old Russian gourd dolls. These boxes stack to almost fill the outer box. On top of the four boxes is a custom printed welcome note; 2 side, 4 color, 4 side bleed, custom die cut, creasing, and perforation with a tear off business card and a full page front and back disclaimer and drug info page, expertly (read origami-like) folded to fit along side the fold-out welcome note. Now, on to the four boxes…
The first is the starter box, lower dosage and a different color. Same processing as the above mentioned outer box but with mechanical additions of a flip top lid, glued down, that when lifted exposes a button that must be pushed while pulling the right slide-out only to reveal yet another flip up that exposes… wait for it… ten (10) small pills.
Though I haven’t opened the other boxes, you can guess that assembly and bindery are roughly the same. Here’s hoping they’re selling a butt-ton of these. I’d hate to see the production costs for each of these…. It makes my stomach hurt.
