Abstract:

This study assesses the trade-off between drug safety and price savings in online drug purchases. Focusing on five brand-name prescription drugs, we acquire 370 drug samples from 41 online pharmacies and test their authenticity. Of the 41 websites, 8 are clearly US-based and verified by the National Association of...

Knowing where all our ingredients come from is the first step toward improving drug quality.

AEI's Alex Brill finds that Medicaid programs often reimbursed pharmacies for expensive brand-name drugs when alternative generic products were available at a lower cost--costing states in 2009 an estimated $329 million in excessive payments.

In 2009, unnecessary Medicaid spending in Georgia was $25 million--the third highest among all states. Nationwide, Medicaid reimbursement for expensive brand-name drugs over alternative generic products cost an estimated $329 million in excessive payments.

In 2009, unnecessary Medicaid spending in Ohio was $21 million--the fourth highest among all states. Nationwide, Medicaid reimbursement for expensive brand-name drugs over alternative generic products cost an estimated $329 million in excessive payments.

In 2009, unnecessary Medicaid spending in California was $102 million--the highest among all states. Nationwide, Medicaid reimbursement for expensive brand-name drugs over alternative generic products cost an estimated $329 million in excessive payments.

In 2009, unnecessary Medicaid spending in Texas was $31 million--the second highest among all states. Nationally, Medicaid reimbursed pharmacies for expensive brand-name drugs when alternative generic products were available at a lower cost--costing $329 million in excessive payments.

Murray Aitken, vice president of IMS Health, the world's largest source of drug-price and sales data, and MIT professor Ernst Berndt will explain why their research shows that average drug prices for seniors have declined, not increased, by more than 20 percent.