medicines are not ordinary items of commerce?

Question

discuss this assertion in the context of the pharmacist's role in the supply and use of medicines. what should be the pharmacist's ethical stance?

Answer 1

Ah :) ethics of the professional of pharmacy. First, let me preface this by saying that I am a Student Pharamcist, beginning my third of four years of my Pharm.D. degree, and in no way does my point-of-view reflect the entire professions. I sometimes think my point-of-view is unique, as living with a chronic condition (Type 1 Diabetes), I see the good and bad of the profession, and the industry as a whole.

My profession's role is to get the right medication to the right patient with the right dosing in a very timely manner, while ensuring that the medication does not cause the patient any harm. Whether the prescription is for birth control pills (although there are some very valid MEDICAL reasons when a patient should not use them) or antibiotics, my religous stance should not come in the way of letting a patient get their medications.

I'm also taking another assumption that your next question would be about the cost of medications. Truthfully, pharmacy chains make a $5 - $10 dispensing fee per prescription. The actual price of the prescription is set from our wholesaler/distributors and the contracts that are set up between them.

Why are medicines so expensive? It is very interesting how drug manufacturers can sell similar (not the same - the FDA does regulate the quality of medication fillers and the active medication MUCH better then in many foreign countries) medications for so much less overseas.

The only relationship that I personally see is the higher a countries GNP, the higher the prescription price. Pardon my language, but we here in the USA get screwed with this practice because we don't have a nationalized health care system. Myself and pharmacy technicians working with me spend hours on the phone and helping patients fill out forms for prescription assistance plans to make sure they can afford their medications, and with seniors to ensure they signed up with the correct Medicare Part D plan.

Lastly - medication use. Patients need to realize that ALL medications have side effects and can possibly conflict with another medication. I can't empathize enough that patients need to let their pharmacists know about all the medicines they are currently taking - prescription, over-the-counter, herbal, and homeopathic. We use this information to see if there is duplication of therapy (you're taking two medications that do the same thing), inappropiate use (you're taking a medication you aren't supposed to be taking), or are taking too high a dose of a medication - if any of these problems occur, we contact your doctor to suggest a correction.

In my opinion, every pharmacist is ethically obligated to make sure these practices are followed and to ensure that our patients get the best care possible.

Feel free to contact me if you have any further questions!

Answer 2

many are hoaxes