In this chapter, we’d like to make what we’ve talked about even more concrete. We’ll follow the journey of 3 specific prescription drugs (Lipitor, Gleevec, and Humira) all the way from molecule to generic drug. We’ll also discuss insulin and some common misunderstandings about its pricing.
Next up, we’ll look at several reasons why certain drugs go off-patent, but stay expensive. We’ll talk about Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) advertising and other common misconceptions about drug pricing, and wrap up with a discussion of why the term “drug price” means different things to different people.
Let’s dive in!