How the U.S. generic drug supply chain works

“This is as clear as mud,” says Bill Whitaker as two former drug supply executives diagram the complex generic drug supply chain.


"60 Minutes" is the most successful television broadcast in history. Offering hard-hitting investigative reports, interviews, feature segments and profiles of people in the news, the broadcast began in 1968 and is still a hit, over 50 seasons later, regularly making Nielsen's Top 10.

[duncanbleak]

Would be nice if the whole segment was posted.
Is it really that difficult??

[RetroBerner]

There is no such thing as moral capitalism

[ronkirk]

Corporate GREED with no sense of decency or any feeling of obligation to the public good. Let's remember, it is our tax laws and other public policy that allows them to make obscene profits and obscene bonus and salary payouts to their top management in the first place.

[duncanbleak]

Or, like every other first-world economy, we could simply not allow price gouging by big pharma!

[goldog]

The one thing that is Absolutely Clear is that it's a broken system and the people who caused it are not capable of or about to fix it

[kotharishashank]

As an ex McKesson contact adminstration, it's easy to understand this model. The system has some more issues because of Rebates and incentives to sales people.

[TheJohnFiles]

60 minutes, you're not going to post the whole story? Why do you not post every story on here? They could be making you money. If it's important enough for Sunday night, it's important enough to be in here.

[Bournechris]

After 2 1/2 years, the generic drug could be made with a brand name manufacturer lower prices when generic is available

[kbstrong]

Why don’t brand names with health insurance work out a fee for the drug and they will buy more and sell the generic to the ones that insurance won’t cover or self pay. Only makes sense to price less sell more have good business relationships and have more availability of them by priority.

[bearing_aficionado]

I love how they don't say what Vincristine is. It's a very powerful chemo drug. My daughter had to take this stuff back when she was doing chemo for her brain tumor.

[CC-klnh]

Corporations aren’t charities. Well neither are doctors and nurses. That’s why there is a shortage in this country and over a million people died.

[spyromatt]

Generic's efficacy has been proven and tested as it undergone stringent QAs before releasing after production. Generic's demise is due to big pharma's lobbying and aggressive marketing. Analogy: if your Rx for an antibiotics is given at 3x a day for 7 days, would you buy the branded one where your money can just afford up to 5 days or with a generic brand that can finish the whole 7 day treatment??

[savagesfortruth]

I’m pretty sure if one of these ceo suffered a serious medical condition and the only generic medication they can afford is no longer available to save their life i bet they be rushing over to fix problems but since greed is more important than human lives it will always be profitable to let people die off from untreated diseases and medical problems that can be prevented by certain treatments and medications

[jtes]

supply chain no drugged apply talk a stash comment