I do not think government is the solution. Free enterprise for the win. There are two startups tackling the problem.
The first is a YC company CostPlusDrugs which has now received backing from Mark Cuban. Started by a physician they're manufacturing 100 common drugs and selling them for a 15% markup over cost. They've also said that they will never go public.
The second is CapitalRx which is a middleman (known as a PBM) that is working for a flat fee and passing on their cost on drugs.
Just like the Jeff Bezos famous quote your margin is their opportunity!
Is this different than the profit model of any other generic drug company? For example, in the vet world I switched from Revolution to generic Revolt for half the price, because the patent for Revolution expired (selamectin). Is costplusdrugs presumably taking even less of a margin than whoever is competing for my generic selamectin order, or the CVS brand equivalent of tylenol?
Truth is it's a bit complicated and hidden. Marketing with smoke and mirrors to obscure what's being done behind the curtain. If you want to quickly get up to speed here's back to back interviews with the founders of both companies that I reference:
The first is a YC company CostPlusDrugs which has now received backing from Mark Cuban. Started by a physician they're manufacturing 100 common drugs and selling them for a 15% markup over cost. They've also said that they will never go public.
The second is CapitalRx which is a middleman (known as a PBM) that is working for a flat fee and passing on their cost on drugs.
Just like the Jeff Bezos famous quote your margin is their opportunity!