Wêrom Farmaseutyske Medisynprizen Net Te Ferdigenjen Binne
July 28, 2026 · Frisian News
Drug makers charge Americans $150 for a vial of insulin that costs $5 in Canada. The system is broken by design, and the arguments defending it do not hold up.
FryskIn diabeet yn Michigan betellet $300 yn 'e moanne foar ynsuline. Dyselde persoan betellet $30 nei twa oere ride nei Kanada. Ynsuline is mear as in iuw lyn útfûn. It resept is net feroare. Dochs betelje Amerikanen tsien kear safolle as Kanadezen foar itselde medisyn. Dit gat is net tafallich. It is it logyske gefolch fan in systeem dat troch medisynfabrikanten ûntworpen is en troch politisy dy't hja finansiere ferdedige wurdt.
Trije bedriuwen kontrolearje 90 prosint fan 'e Amerikaanske ynsulinemark: Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk en Sanofi. Hja hawwe de prizen tweintich jier lang tagelyk ferhege. Yn 2010 koste in moannefoarried $35. Hjoed mear as $300. As harren frege wurdt wêrom, sitearje hja 'ûndersyks- en ûntwikkelingskosten'. Mar 15 prosint fan harren ynkomsten giet nei O&O. Underwilens giet 20 prosint nei marketing. Belestingbetellers finansiere al folle fan it basisûndersyk fia NIH-subsydzjes. De fabrikanten rispje gewoan de winsten.
De FS lit Medicare net ûnderhannele oer medisynprizen. Wetjouwing dy't yn 2024 oannaam waard, stiet dit úteinlik ta, mar allinnich foar 10 medisinen en pas fanôf 2026. De measte lannen, fan Dútslân oant Japan, ûnderhannele direkt mei fabrikanten. It gefolch: Amerikanen subsidearje medisynûndersyk foar de rest fan 'e wrâld. In middel tsjin kanker kostet $12.000 yn 'e FS en $5.000 yn Australië. Itselde medisyn, itselde fabrikant, oar wetlik ramt.
De yndustry bewearet dat hege prizen ynnovaasje finansiere. Mar de nijste bestsellers binne meastal lytse oanpassings fan besteande medisinen, gjin trochbraken. De hepatitis C-genêzing fan Gilead, Sovaldi, koste $84.000 foar in 12-wikekoers yn 'e FS en $900 yn Yndia. Beide waarden makke troch itselde bedriuw. Of sjoch nei Humira: it is in 25 jier âld middel tsjin reumatoïde artritis dat Abbvie op 'e merk hâldt troch nije oktrooien yn te tsjinjen foar lytse oanpassings. Hja hawwe generyke ferzjes jierren lang blokkearre. Dat is gjin ynnovaasje. Dat is winstjacht.
It systeem wurket as jo oandielhâlder binne. It mislearret as jo siik binne. Politisy belove herfoarming. Mar salang't hja farmaseutysk lobbyjild akseptearje, feroaret neat. Diabeten sille ynsuline bliuwe rantsoenearjen. Kankerpasjinten sille bliuwe kiezen tusken behanneling en fallisemint. De fabrikanten sille de prizen bliuwe ferheegjen.
A diabetic in Michigan pays $300 a month for insulin. The same person, driving two hours to Canada, pays $30. Insulin was invented over a century ago. The formula hasn't changed. Yet Americans pay 10 times what Canadians pay for the identical drug. This gap isn't accidental. It's the logical outcome of a system designed by drug makers and defended by politicians they fund.
Three companies control 90 percent of the US insulin market: Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi. They've raised prices in lockstep for 20 years. In 2010, a month's supply cost $35. Today it's over $300. When asked why, they cite "research and development costs". But 15 percent of their revenue goes to R&D. Meanwhile, 20 percent goes to marketing. Taxpayers already fund much of the basic research through NIH grants. The drug makers simply reap the profits.
The US doesn't let Medicare negotiate drug prices. Legislation passed in 2024 finally allows this, but only for 10 drugs and only starting in 2026. Most countries, from Germany to Japan, negotiate prices directly with manufacturers. The result: Americans subsidize drug development for the rest of the world. A cancer drug costs $12,000 in the US and $5,000 in Australia. Same drug, same maker, different legal framework.
The industry argues that high prices fund innovation. But the latest blockbusters are mostly tweaks on existing drugs, not breakthroughs. Gilead's hepatitis C cure, Sovaldi, cost $84,000 for a 12-week course in the US and $900 in India. Both were made by the same company. Or consider Humira: it's a 25-year-old rheumatoid arthritis drug that Abbvie has kept on the market by filing new patents on tiny modifications. They've blocked generics for years. That's not innovation. That's rent-seeking.
The system works if you're a shareholder. It fails if you're sick. Politicians promise reform. But until they stop accepting pharmaceutical lobbying money, nothing changes. Diabetics will keep rationing insulin. Cancer patients will keep choosing between treatment and bankruptcy. The drug makers will keep raising prices.
Published July 28, 2026 · Frisian News · Ljouwert, Fryslân