The reality is that fewer and fewer things are genuinely inexpensive these days, and more and more of them are now what we’d see as expensive. Inflation is really on a tear right now here in North America, but prescription drugs have been expensive for a long time now already. People who are schizophrenic or bipolar have already received a rough deal as it is, and the same can be said for those with Tourette’s disorder or even severe depression. All of these are conditions where the patient may be taking Abilify, which is among the medications that are too pricey for lots of people. So why is Abilify so expensive?
The answer to that is the same answer as to why are drugs so expensive in America as a whole, and why can you order medication online from Canada and pay so much less for it. The pharmaceutical industry is much more geared for profit, and one the biggest contributors is the fact that there are no constraints on how drug manufacturers price their medications in the USA. There are other reasons why drugs cost less in Canada, and American who struggle to afford prescription medication should be looking at Canadian online pharmacies if they need to pay less when filling prescriptions.
Abilify certainly is expensive – even here at Canada Drugs Direct 90 of the 20mg tablets will be over $700 – but that is likely going to be less than you’ll pay for it at any storefront pharmacy in the USA. Abilify is manufactured by Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, and the reason it is expensive is in line with why other drugs are expensive. It is because there are significant R&D costs to produce these drugs, and these are costs that have to be recouped by the companies in order to continue putting R&D into other much needed drugs.
This is also the answer for why is generic Abilify so expensive, although any time you can go with the generic equivalent of a medication it is a good way to save money on drugs. Keep in mind that generic medications must be proven to be equally effective as the branded version of it in order for the US FDA or Health Canada to approve it for sale and distribution.
Let’s look at why is Abilify so expensive in greater detail here in addition to talking about why it is such an important means of helping people who have these very serious mental health conditions.
While it is not a good thing in and of itself, the fact that more people suffer from clinical depression than schizophrenia or bipolar disorder is probably preferable given that people with those more serious disorders are going to be more likely to harm themselves if they don’t receive the proper treatment. That is not at all to minimize the severity of depression – it can be absolutely crippling for people but one positive aspect here is that antidepressant medications work well for most people.
Sometimes these meds need to be augmented with others for maximum effectiveness, and Abilify is sometimes prescribed to used as an add-on treatment when the antidepressants themselves aren’t enough. With regard to why is Abilify so expensive, you would think that any off label uses might increase the number of people filling prescriptions and bringing down the price a bit. But that doesn’t appear to be the case as Abilify continues to be a high-cost drug.
Different Rx medications have different depths to pharmacology and activation levels, and this may also be a partial explanation as to why is Abilify so expensive too. Abilify has a signature to its active ingredient (Aripiprazole) that can allow it to work in two ways rather than just in one way uniformly when introduced to the body. There are 4 primary brain neurotransmitters and the 2 targeted by this medication are dopamine and serotonin. There are many medications that switch neurotransmitters on OR off, but few of them like Abilify that can switch either way depending on what’s needed.
Why is Abilify so expensive? It is like many other drugs in America where the end user costs are higher than you’d find elsewhere for many different reasons. But how about some good news around that? People without health insurance or using Medicare part D may be able to pay less for Abilify when they order it online from Canada OR when they use the Abilify savings program. Sign up at the manufacturer’s website and you will have your choice of a downloadable card or e-card. If you are filling your prescriptions at your local pharmacy all you will need to do is show your card to receive a discount on your medication.