Found out my asthma inhaler costs 4x more in the US than in Germany

I was refilling my albuterol at the CVS in Portland last week and the pharmacist mentioned the cash price was $89. I looked it up later and the same inhaler sells for about $21 in Berlin. How is that even legal for the same drug from the same company? Has anyone else compared prices with other countries and found gaps this wide?

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smith.nancy1mo ago

and that's exactly what I did after my first panic refill, switched to a generic version my insurance actually covered and it brought it down to like $12 a month, but the real kicker is I shouldn't have to play this game in the first place. You'd think the pharmacy would just tell you the generic option is cheaper without you having to ask, but no, they just hand you the price like it's normal. I've also started asking my doctor to write prescriptions for the 90 day supply instead of the 30 day one, which helps a bit on the copay side of things. It's crazy that we're all just trading tips on how to work around a system that's clearly broken when other countries just sell the same inhaler for a reasonable price. I swear the whole thing is designed to make you feel like you're doing something wrong when you question the cost.

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roberts.leo1mo ago

Damn, I've been there with the same sticker shock. Check if your insurance covers a generic or see if your doctor can switch you to a different inhaler type, it saved me like $60 a month.

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