VICE's Hamilton Morris explores the world of clandestine chemists, DIY bio hackers, and grey markets to see if a more democratized medicinal future is indeed possible. WATCH NEXT: The Fight to Stop Genital Surgeries on Intersex Infants - ua-cam.com/video/7THy-mcFWq8/v-deo.html
doposud ... Nothing so simple. It’s multi factorial. It’s about Mitch McConnell blocking bills. It’s about pharmaceutical price gouging. It’s about health professionals who overcharge. It’s about dishonest insurance companies. It’s about promises broken by Trump.
"we price our medicines based on the value they provide to patients" in other words, they price it as high as people will possibly go to save their own life. disgusting.
What’s terrible is they already have more personal wealth than they or anyone else could ever spend. They just want more and more without any need. They want money and power for the sake of money and power.
This is one of the first things that they teach in economics. Drugs are considered an inelastic good which means the demand for them doesn't change. In a capitalist society, the sky's the limit when it comes to drug pricing as people will always pay because they basically have no alternative. Drugs in other countries cost a fraction of what they do in the US because most governments have strict pricing regulations because of the unethical consequences of not doing so. See exhibit A (America).
Our government is to blame for its function is to introduce laws that protect individuals and allow people to develop into healthy, sensible, and strong characters. Our government must introduce laws that regulate prices. if the government does not work, the government must be ousted by the people and a sensible government must be brought into power.
Well, it' s not disgusting. It's capitalism and free market. Imagine, you invent something that can cure aids for example, would you give it out for free or cheap if you can become very rich out of it? Charitable ppl, never became rich, famous or known ..
The fact that she and her husband spent decades saving every dollar for their retirement, only for it to get washed away by the greed of pharma companies, really left a pit in my stomach
Hence the reason why most millenials want socialism. Deep down they feel capitalism is a failed system. After watching this, can you really blame them!
@@nill5217 . Most definitely. I'm all for free market capitalism as well. However you have to look at it from both sides. How long can capitalism reign in this country when a majority of the nxt generation are willing to vote for socialism. I give it another 10yrs, maybe sooner.
"this quantity offered as a free sample in China would potentially cost cancer patients in the United States..." ok, here we go "as much as 3 million dollars" FUCKING WHAT?!?
I lost my brother 3 months ago to type 1 diabetes. He couldnt afford his insulin and it slowly and sadly killed him. It was awful to watch, I tried to help but without insurance we couldnt afford the quantities needed. He went blind about 18 months ago and then this past september he just dropped, and that was it. He had just turned 30. Rip Dillion Reed. I love you. I will always miss you. You meant the world to me, Im sorry I couldnt save you. .
Here I am just crying uncontrollably at that last part. Not only is the love of his life going to pass, but he's going to be stuck in financial ruin for just trying to keep her alive as long as possible. And can you imagine having to come to terms with your own death while also trying to fight to be able to afford the medications that can give you more time? The amount of energy that goes into that entire table she laid out. The records she has to keep for insurance, the grants she has to apply for - they do not make it easy at any step of the way.
You mean die unnecessarily, thats what it is. Millions of unnecessary deaths for the profits of a few dozen maybe couple hundred people. Decades late to this game or are you young?
There’s no money in a cure compared to the money in a treatment. America does not care about people. It’s a money greedy corporation. I live in America. I know this.
Brief explanation yo get taxed aboved 45% and you all are told that you get free healthcare in usa the people get taxed around 27% average and earns double they would get in most of european countries, in USA the people get a car without a downpayment then they have to pay like $600 a month between the loan payment and the insurance and the house loan which probably is above their possibilities then they don't have money to purchase a health insurance and they blame the system. If they buy a car between 5K and 8K car in cash and eliminate that liability and get a cheaper insurance they could afford a health insurance so easily the problem is the people who abuses of the capitalism to get things they can't support.
@@m.g.2799 jesus christ i didnt even think about that...fucking sad. someone who cant afford their medicine could literally have to chose between going to prison to get medicine or die
@@nill5217 I don't agree with the US imperialistic military strategy, but ironically you could have both a good and affordable health care system and high military spending. Insurance systems in Central Europe are overall cheaper for the state than the US health care system and they guarantee access to health care for everyone.
TheGabbaKeks Subsidized by research completed in the United States. Remember that the US producers more drugs than the next 10 leading countries combined. Edit: please read my comment below. The US government subsidizes around 40% of new drug research in the US. That’s the reason the US produces more drugs. The US subsidizes your healthcare if you live anywhere in Europe xconomy.com/seattle/2014/09/02/which-countries-excel-in-creating-new-drugs-its-complicated/ www.pnas.org/content/115/10/2329
Not to mention most R&D is paid for by Tax Payers through Government Grants. Pharma Companies just buy the patents to Drugs that were researched and developed by Universities (who received those Grants to do that research)... We're getting F@#$& both ways
I was just about to puke from rage, but well this is the world we live in, thank god I live in a country with free healthcare, even though that also comes with risks, for those of you wondering search for the scandal of the chemotherapies in Mexican hospitals
Price is dictated by the value to the patients. Most capitalists quote ever. How much do you value this medicine Mrs Smith? Oh your whole life? How much is your life worth Mrs Smith? Oh that will be your whole life savings.
Bruh most of these treatments and drugs would never have been invented if it wasn't for the financial incentive. No doubt man would be living on Pluto by now if it was made of gold.
A retired person on low income social security had a heart attack.. the hospital bill I saw myself, hospitals scamming for 1 dollar PER each tablet of aspirin. Thats a bottle theyre making 99 dollars if not more per 100. A bag of saline also on this bill, this is literally salt water right? It said 300 for one to hang in a plastic bag. I googled the same thing and its onlline for many shops at under 5 dollars each... so why or who is adding 295 extra dollars on each bag for each person for each day? No justication, insurance especially health, is a legalized racket... "if you dont pay us this somethiny bad might happen to ya!".. literally! thanks American baby boomers, what a grand idea that was, also...no wonder our economy cost of living is worse than the 70s
Because alot of shit was discovered in america, that costed billions and decades of time to discover. once this discovery is publicized, other countries just steal it and mass produce it. You're not taking into account the billions spent and decades of research to discover something.
@@viktourdesmond4346 Not that much,for example not insulin tho. Tons of americans come to canada (whete it was invented) to get it. Think trump passed a law making it legal.
Their objective is to keep the patient alive as long as possible, not to cure them but to sell more drugs. Watch this: The Cancer Cure Cover-Up ua-cam.com/video/qQKaCTdrmJc/v-deo.html
My friend had a motorcycle accident happen.. hospital for weeks or so. They sent a bill for 1.5million. this is someone with basic job and american life. now his credit is ruined for life obviously and he is handicapped and unable to get full support .. unless he wins the lotto he has to struggle forever basically living with others or renting for life
There are those who are rich or more who really care about people and then those who are rich and more and dont give a sheet about people and just keep taking and taking till traffic says fu and find ways around the greedy people or places.
thats so sad, $28 in India and in America the richest country in the world people are dying because they cannot afford it! And if you aren't America as a bio technologist you would be paid extremely well God bless you for your work
That 10gram gift would be enough for her whole life actually Also that kilo would cost 300million$ in America so you def can’t pass that through an airport but you could easily get that 10grams out i guess
i am pretty sure he wanted to but he cant its just to risked especially now that the episode is aired there will be some assholes investigating on whether that women still buys that medicine or no and if she doesnt its jail for a hole crew and for the couple ..
it's disgusting I got charged 2000$ for a one hour hospital visit when I was 18 and they just sent me home and said nothing is wrong with me (was having heart palpitations)
Cos - as Obama will tell you - they want to!! And this is because free meds = socialism, which, as the disenfranchised, oppressed populations of Sweden, Norway, Denmark et. al. will tell you, is an awful, heinous, diabolical thing. One should pay not for the value of a product but rather how much the product is valued; ergo no money = no honey, not even for the worker bees that frikkin made it!!
GOD Bless the brave DIY chemists and everybody else involved for trying to make life-saving medicine costs reasonable. As someone who is on meds for mental issues, I salute you!
@@bojeboydk Oh, good. As a few internet strangers' good old fashioned anecdotal experiences will show, hallucinogenic compounds are a one stop shop for fixing mental illness.
The corrupt government, the military industrial complex, mass shooting, massive public and private debt, economic inequality, deregulation and low taxes for the rich, homeless crisis, high stress, and political polarization. Did I miss anything?
@@rsync9490 struggling small scale farmers and small scale manufacturing businesses , occasional police brutality , sanctuary cities , higher violent crime rate than other developed countries , lack of universal healthcare , costly higher education , overdose deaths etc. I might have missed a few...
What a SHAME for a country like the US! I am from a third-world country and anyone can afford diabetes treatment here! Edit: Not only diabetes but also any heart diseases, hypertension, cholesterol problems, rheumatological conditions, eye problems, major surgeries etc.
@Frank Marano Medicare for all is also known as universal healthcare, which virtually every other country on earth guarantees. It's why in the early 2000s Dave chapelle made a joke about the crisis by recommending Americans buy fake Canadian passports to sneak into Canada to afford healthcare. It's sad how bad things have to get for people to start wanting change
No, no, no...you see ...the parameters of the market, juxtaposed with the systemwide specifications of incremental adjustments causing an elevation in fiscal stimulus resulting in a higher maintenance cost per unit.😐
My dad was on Revilmid for two years. I had to apply for grants to get his medication. Out of pocket was $12k. Insurance paid $7k. We had to pay $500 each month. I found a non-profit agency that was willing to help pay the rest that insurance didn’t covered.
Hamilton putting pharma reps on blast after knowing how much they pay per kilo. Mad respect. Canada has it a lot better in a lot of ways, but prescription prices can still be hell without good coverage.
@@bunnylakeisntmissing thats the llie they tell you! In reality the nhs will only supply cheapest crap youd have to pay for private dr for the best medication in the uk and that is a fact.. Not many people realise that weed is actually legal now in the uk for medical use cos the government wanna keep it quiet the nhs wont let you have it though you have to pay for private healthcare if you want anything decent in the uk trust me but sadlymost the population are so brainwashed they dont know the basic stuff they should!
Why do doctors especially oncologists charge so much? Why lawyers charge so much, they too are greedy then. By the way do you work for free? Then by what right does a cheetah judge a tiger? Watch WSJ's video on drug prices. The real mother fuckers are Pharmacy Benefit Managers aka middle men.
Excellent job on this. It really shows the corporate greed involved when it comes to pricing medicine. Also the toll it takes on a middle-class family.
Goddamn it comments like these infuriate me to no end. "Greed", what a shitty reasoning is that. People simply are greedy on average, period. That is why capitalist system has established itself, cause it usually makes greed work for the good of all. If greed worked for the good of all here and those pharmaceuticals really ARE overpriced, then greedy me could just manufacture and/or source them myself and undercut all the "big evil pharma", giving people in need access to these medicines at lower cost AND making a ton of profit doing it. For some regulatory reason which isn't explained in this video (I'm not American, maybe it's common knowledge there?) people cannot do that. So you see it's not "greed" that's the problem it's actually some stupid shortsighted regulation somewhere in the system.
@@PoisonHeadcrab2 regulation? No. It's called patent. Patentholders dictate prices. It's still greed. Not all patent holders decide to go down this path. Stop portraying the world as black and white, not everyone is as big of an asshole as people willing to deny people the right to life. Capitalism can work beautifully, hell, it mostly does in the majority of the west. Capitalism is the most fair system we have to date. The problem is the idea that the market should be unregulated. That causes EXACTLY this type of bullshit where the first people on the ball can dictate the terms. The first people on the ball are the ones with money, aka the people with power over the system. It's a feedback loop.
@@cman1279 what? Indian monthly salary is typically 1/5 to what an american would make in a comparable job, lets say the construction industry. if we are onabout buying drugs, then india still gets them far cheaper in SOME circumstances, like insulin etc. from a 2015 search someone states they pay 450Ruples per insulin pen, $6.34. typically they are bought in quantity of 5 so 5x $6.34 is $31.7 dollars, in america they can cost up to "retail prices in the US are around the $300 range for all insulins from the three major brands that control the market. Even accounting for inflation, that's a price increase of over 1,000%." the only problem that indians face is there pay is still so low that even cheaper comparisons still work to end up the same percentile costs a others.
The only 1st country without universal healthcare and the only country which can get you in debt just by going to University also visiting the hospital can get you bankrupt
because its america. the UN is located in new york. the UN doesnt give a shit what america does. if they did they would have done something about their warmongering terrorist regime a long time ago. point is america can literally do everything and no human rights organization or the UN or what ever is doing anything about it. america is good the rest of the world who does a better job then america in literally everything is bad.
if i remember correctly earlier in the video the women said $2,500 for a kilo which would be $2.50 for 10 grams. even then he got something in america that would cost $3,000,000 for free.
here's another compassionate person; a Doctor and his attempt to be compassionate to cancer victims - watch this: The Cancer Cure Cover-Up ua-cam.com/video/qQKaCTdrmJc/v-deo.html
10:17 Hamilton's face lighting up when he was told they're going to a Lenalidomide factory reminds me Charlie's expression when he found a golden ticket to Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory
My husband and I are a young version of the couple shown here. We always saved and were very smart with our money compared to others our age and at 24 all of that is already mostly gone. We have been together for 8 years and I think every day how I will probably not be here to grow old with him, I will take and take all of his money just to survive and leave him with nothing. I am very lucky to have him but I would give anything to change my illness or even my country of origin. The US government will never help me survive in any way and I think constantly that I would rather give up medical care than keep going through this and waste my husbands life. I feel for this couple so deeply..
This is very very far from true, in other words you're just taking a group of people and blaming everyone for one persons actions. Quite similar to racism. I am an American and I value life over a fixed non dependable currency.
That woman is concerned that Revlimid bought from India wouldn't work. Does she thinks we make the drugs in the same cow shed where we worship our MOST SACRED COWS ? 🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@emceehammer8054 not really it's the same drug regardless. it's like the difference between a $5 bottle of wine and a $50 bottle, you're getting the same drug (alcohol) in it either way.
No it actually costs alot of money and pharma companies can take greater risks on new compounds with more capital. There is a trade-off with lowering thier money that nobody wants to talk about. Innovation comes at a cost.
@ dinung rai - actually he’s not. The cost of developing and testing a new drug takes years and is hideously expensive. Which is why it can generally only afford to be done in Europe or North America. Sure, some primitive looking lab in India or China (like the one seen in the video) can reproduce somebody else’s drug for next to nothing, but they’re just following an existing formula, they wouldn’t have a clue how to go about developing something new to treat an otherwise untreatable disease. Nor would they have any motivation to try even if they did know how, because the next lab down the road would just immediately copy it and sell it for even less. What a lot of people don’t seem to understand, and unfortunately this video doesn’t do a great job of explaining, is that with modern medicines (unlike a lot of other consumer products) you are generally not paying for the raw materials and manufacturing cost of that individual dose, you are paying for the many, many years of research and testing that it took to discover that medication in the first place.
@@mattgrainger7084 that explains Operation Warp Speed?? Besides there are orphan drugs no profit-seeking company would ever bother developing. It’s not a great system unless you throw ethics out of the discussion.
Retail value of a whole kilo at that price would be 300 million dollars, made in China, being sold for $2700 by a woman laughing like she would be robbing him at that price.
@@tatabeat$2400, $2700. What's $300 when pharmaceutical company charges up to 125,000 times as much as the drug cost to buy from the factory? Tip the guy that lead you to the cancer drug factory.
It's actually heartbreaking to hear her upset that her terminal illness will leave her Husband penniless and alone after year of saving for the future.
@@simpasaurussmooth67 ah. Incorrect. Most european governments determine the prices of drugs. Drug companies can then accept that price or not sell on the european market. They're still quite profitable, as the govt has no interest in making them unable to do further R&D. It just protects the sick from the profit margin hunters.
this is why I’m so grateful for the PBS here In Australia, every single one of my medications costs $6.60 (aud) and i won’t be affected by price hikes, it’s too bad they wants to remove more and more meds from the PBS in order to make the AU medical system more like the US medical system which is a horrible model, but is cheaper for the government :/
yeah, definitely. bernie 2020, we need the same quality of healthcare as they have in china or india. are we really so far behind that no other country in the world has this issue. i hope he brought those 10 grams back with him, either through postage, or even smuggling up in his body, i don't care how, but he better get that to her, along with information on dilution and dosage by volume of diluted solvent. 3 million dollars for 10 grams? that's insanity? that's more than any illegal drugs, hell, that's more expensive than fentanyl, with 10 grams being a million doses of fentanyl, and you can still get it cheaper than the cancer medication. it's absurd. absolutely and utterly obscene.
@@mattcrown300 Wtf are you talking about? Evil corps are why the world is so shitty. Most drugs are not evil, but the way they are marketed and use is evil. The only one who seems ignorant here is YOU.
Matt Crown no you intentionally dense assclown, we want the drug companies to stop jacking the prices of a 10 gram free sample into a 3 million dollar product for desperate people who can't afford to even stay alive. every other country in the world can do it. you're acting like america is a 3rd world country where it's normal to not be able to afford medication. even though a trash picker in most third world countries can afford their medication more easily than a middle class person in the usa. the medications were created here, how are we spending more than everyone else? why are they raking in billions of dollars in profit, even after research expenditure? how can they afford to give hundred million dollar bonuses to their billionaire executives, when even middle class people in the *same fucking country* can't afford to get their medications? how does a free sample in china cost 3 million dollars in america? you are being intentionally dense, and we can all see through it, you corporate shill
And Americans don’t want Bernie Sanders as president but want a corporate manipulative president ^_^ gotta love reverse psychology or we the people are retarded sheep I don’t know hurts my spirituality wondering how...
+Jo Jo You mean Americans don't want to be forced by a dictatorial govt to PAY insane amounts of taxes for an inefficient and corrupt health care system with long wait times, rationing, bureaucracy, fraud, and low quality results, none of which addresses the actual price gouging and actually solves the problem at its core.
@@Elhardt you mean they want to have to sell their houses and get their great grandchildren in debt for a simple treatment you get in other countries with a general health care system for free??
@@Elhardt fraud ? Corruption ? you dont see this as corruption and fraud ? LOL " Long Wait Times " Well in Canada just for example you have private hospitals which can help you in avoiding wait times and still they will cost you much less than us hospitals by much less i mean 20kusd-30kusd on average difference, " insane amount of taxes " i guess you prefer to pay insane amount of money on your healthcare and education hahaha surely your govt is way more democratic than scandinavians and danish.
I remember when Michael Moore made 'Sicko' in 2009 and there is a 'The Simpsons' episode when they went to Canada to buy more cheap medicine. This is a envolving problem.
Or set up a numerous secret programs for those in dire need to divorce (if married) and marry a Canadian. Both ex-husband and ex-wife marry Canadians and get free health care and drugs and reunite while in Canada. Idiotic idea I guess but these Americans suffering with illness, death, bankruptcy because of American drug companies might consider it. We Canadians are not socialists. I love Americans but their healthcare system makes America not so great as it could be.
I love Hamilton Morris. Everything he ever does he does so well and really let’s you feel it. He has the best voice and is super knowledgeable with everything he talks about. My favorite person on the vide squad by a mile!! I wish there was a playlist with every piece he has done. I believe I’ve seen them all but I’d like to watch again lol
Here in Sweden prescribed medcicines are subsidized. There is a patient price cap at the pharmacy of c.a 280$ per year. So when you hit that 280$ in drugs; even if your cancer/diabetes/heart meds cost thousands of dollars.... you never ever pay more than 280$ per year. This helps the sickest and poorest to... stay alive basically.
Everyone cries about socialism until there dying and can't afford the medicine because of capitalism and start begging for subsidies. Always remember karma is a MF and what goes around comes around. Your votes matter. Put some thought and research into the positions and voting records of potential elected officials. It could t be more important. Imagine all the rednecks screaming hoorah I'm a Republican until they realize they have zero social security benefits because the republicans did away with the program just like that. All that money you lent the government and they just keep it and say " hey at least we can call ourselves conservatives " 😂
Same but unfortunately it's doubtful that Vice would approve such a liability risk. On the plus side, a generic of the drug covered in this documentary was recently approved in Europe and has been rolled out in a couple European countries (under the name Lenalidomide Alvogen), like in Romania or Croatia for example, so with a bit of luck someone will hopefully manage to illegally import it (and as it´s a European approved drug you can be as certain of its purity and efficacy as the American version). It's not as cheap as a Chinese or Indian version but much cheaper than in the US. According to a quick google search, the price of 28 tablets of 2.5mg lenalidomide costs over $23,000 in the US while 21 tablet of 5mg (so double the amount per tablet) costs under $2000 in Romania.
@@cip77rian That the generic exists in Europe? Yes, if you look up Alvogen Lenalidomide you can see pictures of it. Only thing is that one does need a prescription to get it. So patients would need to travel at least once to Europe to get the initial prescription. But considering how expensive the drug is in the US it would probably still be worth it.
@@cip77rian Yes in the US it's sold under the name Revlimid and it now costs over $750 per pill (it used to be under $250 when it was first launched in 2005). So a month supply which is usually between 21 and 28 pills gets very costly. At the very least it's over $16,000 but can reach over $20,000. Some people get it cheaper if they have really good insurance but that can get costly too and not everyone can have good insurance.
Robin L healthcare in Europe is much better than in US. US does not have the best Healthcare system in the world it has one of the worst benefitting of the poor
HmzaYT wrong snowflake U.S has one of the best cancer survival rates In fact our life expectancy is so high for being a country that’s so fat So he have great quality but it’s just very expensive
Hahaha I pay $71 per week for insurance.. $3000 deductible. I go monthly to the dr and have to pay $145 out of pocket and that doesn't even count toward my deductible. America keeps the poor ppl poor
The owners are always very proud and eager to show their facilities. See how casually they gave him 10g for free to test, all while just chatting and sipping tea.
"To leave him bankrupt on top of everything else it's bad enough that we're not gonna get that 50th anniversary". What a poignant thing to end this video on. Such a debilitating situation they are in.
kevin gregory read the reasoning..... America spends billions of $ and years or decades to research each drug... Chinese and Indians steel the research and mass produce them... Americans make at least 50 times more than an Indian so Americans have to pay more (and it’s less in proportion of drug cost to income for an American to an Indian). Also look up richest people in the world... see any pharma people? That’s what I thought
There should be federal law that says if you charge X percent more for product then a product tax of an equal percentage is imposed. Corporations can be jailed too, that's every employee which provides incentives to behave ethically. And any retaliation is not tolerated. not jacking up prices and lowering production rates would rewarded heavily. This promotes ethical business. Product prices and quantities would be included in the tax forms made by the citizens for records and law checks. This what I'd like aoc and sanders to go for and you should message them on this and make it a bill or executive order
@@mattcrown300 excuse me? Are you aware of how ignorant u sound? I want to get rid of those corporations! My father had cancer and was diabetic and died because of it! It cost us so much just to keep him alive! How about you stop talking and go back to class!
@@mattcrown300 by the way I'm a beautiful person with a beautiful soul. I spent my high school years volunteering at food pantry's and nursing homes! Donated my leftover blankets and towels to animals shelters. How about you practice what you preach kid!
bro I overlooked this video for so long, and then autoplay gets me here and it's with Dr. N-Butyllithium? As a fellow chemist, I've been what you could call a fan for years. Nicely done Hamilton!
@@SA2004YG Agreed, we need to allow the government to negotiate on the behave of Medicare Supply for the benefit of the people and not the corporations like the rest of the world. Our laws are designed to benefit large industry. Its time to vote for changing the rules. Tax lobbying (Warren ideas) would help curb large money interests (many industries would benefit, make USA stronger). New laws to minimize political corruption with checks, balances, and increased transparency.
goodvibration It will make the prices go up. Nobody likes overpaying more than Uncle Sam. It’s time to have a war on corruption. The dirtbags have ran things long enough. Time to shine a light on the swine and send them packing.
centozo black market always undercuts prices unless it is something which is completely outlawed and the BM is the only source. I just wish more things would be regulated instead of being deemed dangerous and banned. e.g. Kratom
I honestly don't know how some people live w/themselves. I can't imagine taking money from sick people or letting them die if they can't pay. Its just unreal, How do they sleep at night or walk w/their head's held high?!?!? I'm truly saddened by this video or really the demons that have been brought to light.
@@greenearth9945 I guess I'd have to agree w/you. Its still just unbelievable to me like how were these people raised? I feel like from day one my parents said "be kind to everyone,as in turn the other cheek" I raised my children the same. No money or power would change this.
How do they walk with their heads held high? Because their pockets are fat and their heads are inflated. Sadly, I think that's all it is most of the time. When your desire for money and power outweighs your sense of community and compassion that's how your brain works. And as Americans that's is what we're conditioned to believe is important. It's all over television "dramas" and in the ads stuffed between them. You can't buy all the cool new shiney... useless stuff without the money.
because it is easy to ignore suffering when it is far removed from you, or you have a justification that you can believe in. Everyone does similar things to others, difference is in the scale.
The sad thing is Dr. Banting didn't patent insulin because he wanted it to be easily available to anyone who needed it. Little did he know that 100 years later it would still be too expensive for so many....
J. Garner read the reasoning..... America spends billions of $ and years or decades to research each drug... Chinese and Indians steel the research and mass produce them... Americans make at least 50 times more than an Indian so Americans have to pay more (and it’s less in proportion of drug cost to income for an American to an Indian). Also look up richest people in the world... see any pharma people? That’s what I thought
VICE's Hamilton Morris explores the world of clandestine chemists, DIY bio hackers, and grey markets to see if a more democratized medicinal future is indeed possible.
WATCH NEXT: The Fight to Stop Genital Surgeries on Intersex Infants - ua-cam.com/video/7THy-mcFWq8/v-deo.html
so if i understand it correctly is it becose of the greed of health insurance companies ?
doposud ... Nothing so simple. It’s multi factorial.
It’s about Mitch McConnell blocking bills.
It’s about pharmaceutical price gouging.
It’s about health professionals who overcharge.
It’s about dishonest insurance companies.
It’s about promises broken by Trump.
OMG it's Nurdrage
Garbage piece. This is a 15 year old’s version of the world.
"we price our medicines based on the value they provide to patients" in other words, they price it as high as people will possibly go to save their own life. disgusting.
That"s exactly what that means, we live in a very sick society
What’s terrible is they already have more personal wealth than they or anyone else could ever spend. They just want more and more without any need. They want money and power for the sake of money and power.
This is one of the first things that they teach in economics. Drugs are considered an inelastic good which means the demand for them doesn't change. In a capitalist society, the sky's the limit when it comes to drug pricing as people will always pay because they basically have no alternative. Drugs in other countries cost a fraction of what they do in the US because most governments have strict pricing regulations because of the unethical consequences of not doing so. See exhibit A (America).
Our government is to blame for its function is to introduce laws that protect individuals and allow people to develop into healthy, sensible, and strong characters. Our government must introduce laws that regulate prices. if the government does not work, the government must be ousted by the people and a sensible government must be brought into power.
Well, it' s not disgusting. It's capitalism and free market. Imagine, you invent something that can cure aids for example, would you give it out for free or cheap if you can become very rich out of it? Charitable ppl, never became rich, famous or known ..
The fact that she and her husband spent decades saving every dollar for their retirement, only for it to get washed away by the greed of pharma companies, really left a pit in my stomach
So will the following, watch this: The Cancer Cure Cover-Up ua-cam.com/video/qQKaCTdrmJc/v-deo.html
Hence the reason why most millenials want socialism. Deep down they feel capitalism is a failed system. After watching this, can you really blame them!
@@nill5217 . Most definitely. I'm all for free market capitalism as well. However you have to look at it from both sides. How long can capitalism reign in this country when a majority of the nxt generation are willing to vote for socialism. I give it another 10yrs, maybe sooner.
I hope they make it to their 50th anniversary.
Anyone can get sick, the fear of losing everything makes getting sick that much worse
When a free sample from China is worth $3,000,000 in America... unreal.
Who tryin to buy!!!!!
The 1%ers GREEDY N SELFISH
Hopefully he split it amongst a group of people unable to afford treatment.
At that rate, the $2400 kilo is worth $300M in America.
god made the world, chine made everything else.
"this quantity offered as a free sample in China would potentially cost cancer patients in the United States..."
ok, here we go
"as much as 3 million dollars"
FUCKING WHAT?!?
I spat out my food when I heard that
The amount of profit that big Pharmaceutical companies must make is obscene.
Woah
I am going to china
The problem is smuggling it into U.S.
It won't be worth that much in China.
The title needs to be changed to “Why Drugs Are So Expensive In The US”
But America represents the world :P
Funkaholic as an American, No, no it doesn’t.
@@JazzyFunkaHolic Well yes according to all Americans but not to the rest of the world
move to canada
Americans subsidize the cost of medicine around the world by paying that premium price.
I lost my brother 3 months ago to type 1 diabetes. He couldnt afford his insulin and it slowly and sadly killed him. It was awful to watch, I tried to help but without insurance we couldnt afford the quantities needed. He went blind about 18 months ago and then this past september he just dropped, and that was it. He had just turned 30. Rip Dillion Reed. I love you. I will always miss you. You meant the world to me, Im sorry I couldnt save you. .
Brandy RIP.
Sorry for your loss, that’s heartbreaking
I’m sorry for your loss, it’s sad to know that if he lived here in Europe he would still be with us,
Maynard Frith most people are scared and brainwashed to do anything but hopefully soon we there will be a revolution
That is tragic. Sorry for your loss
Imagine dying because a multimillionaire wants to get even richer.
Death counts make money here in America, it's sad.
Imagine living in America
Joe Cronin also because the government wants to make a war on research chemicals don’t forget that.
capitalism has killed more than any ideology.
@@hanksenpai9125 Saved much more!
Here I am just crying uncontrollably at that last part. Not only is the love of his life going to pass, but he's going to be stuck in financial ruin for just trying to keep her alive as long as possible. And can you imagine having to come to terms with your own death while also trying to fight to be able to afford the medications that can give you more time? The amount of energy that goes into that entire table she laid out. The records she has to keep for insurance, the grants she has to apply for - they do not make it easy at any step of the way.
This is what causes people to go ballistic and make attempts on peoples lives. Rock bottom, nothing to lose.... Vengence comes to mind
It is also the plot behind Breaking Bad, something that sounds pretty ridiculous to everyone else
Welcome to usa...
No one should ever go broke just because they got sick.
You mean die unnecessarily, thats what it is. Millions of unnecessary deaths for the profits of a few dozen maybe couple hundred people. Decades late to this game or are you young?
*british anthem starts playing*
Think about 200 years ago when not everyone could get the medicine they need people died and now everyone is on medication and we're over populated
@@jasontimmons2642 200 years ago almost nothing we have today for drugs existed.
@@MrLoobu exactly my point
As a European I can't comprehend having to spend thousands of dollars just to not die from a treatable disease
There’s no money in a cure compared to the money in a treatment. America does not care about people. It’s a money greedy corporation. I live in America. I know this.
I want to like this comment but it is on 69 likes so I shall not
Brief explanation yo get taxed aboved 45% and you all are told that you get free healthcare in usa the people get taxed around 27% average and earns double they would get in most of european countries, in USA the people get a car without a downpayment then they have to pay like $600 a month between the loan payment and the insurance and the house loan which probably is above their possibilities then they don't have money to purchase a health insurance and they blame the system. If they buy a car between 5K and 8K car in cash and eliminate that liability and get a cheaper insurance they could afford a health insurance so easily the problem is the people who abuses of the capitalism to get things they can't support.
@@josefiol9520 "brief explanation" --> proceeds to write an essay XD
@@yourcreator5551 thank me for giving you education for free.
"Would you break the law to do that?" Hell yeah. I would do anything to survive.
fr... im out here breaking the law just to get stoned
@@jakebriscoe frr me too
@@m.g.2799 jesus christ i didnt even think about that...fucking sad. someone who cant afford their medicine could literally have to chose between going to prison to get medicine or die
Yet the average american can afford a new $1000 iphone every six months. Priorities.
@@ayianamarie9770 .
You could tell when he was interviewing the CEO of pharma he was low key pissed with all the cap he was receiving with the CEO’s answers.
America : Do you know this drug is patented by our companies?
China : How many kilos do you want?
China: give out *sample* that worth $3 millions
Hell yeah! Go China!
Medicare.4.All.donate #Bernie2020
@@nill5217 I don't agree with the US imperialistic military strategy, but ironically you could have both a good and affordable health care system and high military spending. Insurance systems in Central Europe are overall cheaper for the state than the US health care system and they guarantee access to health care for everyone.
TheGabbaKeks
Subsidized by research completed in the United States. Remember that the US producers more drugs than the next 10 leading countries combined.
Edit: please read my comment below. The US government subsidizes around 40% of new drug research in the US. That’s the reason the US produces more drugs. The US subsidizes your healthcare if you live anywhere in Europe
xconomy.com/seattle/2014/09/02/which-countries-excel-in-creating-new-drugs-its-complicated/
www.pnas.org/content/115/10/2329
That pharma rep just gave a master's class on how not to answer the questions asked and how to answer your own questions
It's the everyday job for him, of course he is good
Exactly the same as all politicians. The US healthcare system makes me physically sick
Not to mention most R&D is paid for by Tax Payers through Government Grants.
Pharma Companies just buy the patents to Drugs that were researched and developed by Universities (who received those Grants to do that research)...
We're getting F@#$& both ways
?
I was just about to puke from rage, but well this is the world we live in, thank god I live in a country with free healthcare, even though that also comes with risks, for those of you wondering search for the scandal of the chemotherapies in Mexican hospitals
Important rule if u r poor:
1. Dont get sick.
2. Dont get sick.
3. Dont get sick.
Factz
and to not get sick its recommended to live a vegan diet, see michael gregers lecture for this.
Or adopt responsibility and work your way out of poverty.
Charlie Fretter He was being sarcastic...
Rimba Nur Fauzan Or just move to a better country with free healthcare
"We're making daraprim out of household chemicals"
NileRed has entered the chat
Lmaooooo
thats nurdrage
Tried to make daraprim , accidently made meth instead...
he sounded like nurd rage
@@viagra5207 he is nurdrage
Price is dictated by the value to the patients. Most capitalists quote ever. How much do you value this medicine Mrs Smith? Oh your whole life? How much is your life worth Mrs Smith? Oh that will be your whole life savings.
It’s sickening
Wish I could give this a million likes
Yep.
it's totally disgusting
Bruh most of these treatments and drugs would never have been invented if it wasn't for the financial incentive.
No doubt man would be living on Pluto by now if it was made of gold.
I literally teared up when it said that dose would cost 3 million in the US. What a sad world we live in.
True but this particular horror is singular to America
A retired person on low income social security had a heart attack.. the hospital bill I saw myself, hospitals scamming for 1 dollar PER each tablet of aspirin. Thats a bottle theyre making 99 dollars if not more per 100. A bag of saline also on this bill, this is literally salt water right? It said 300 for one to hang in a plastic bag. I googled the same thing and its onlline for many shops at under 5 dollars each... so why or who is adding 295 extra dollars on each bag for each person for each day? No justication, insurance especially health, is a legalized racket... "if you dont pay us this somethiny bad might happen to ya!".. literally! thanks American baby boomers, what a grand idea that was, also...no wonder our economy cost of living is worse than the 70s
@@am2008ber It's true. The US is quite literally the only country where drug costs are that high.
Because alot of shit was discovered in america, that costed billions and decades of time to discover. once this discovery is publicized, other countries just steal it and mass produce it. You're not taking into account the billions spent and decades of research to discover something.
@@viktourdesmond4346 Not that much,for example not insulin tho. Tons of americans come to canada (whete it was invented) to get it. Think trump passed a law making it legal.
“The price is dictated by the value to patients”
The more you need it, the more we want you to pay for it
That's called exploitation
"Give us what we ask for or you die"
They know exactly what they are doing.
This is heartbreaking. I really hope those two make it to their 50th anniversary :(
Vice: why are drugs so expensive?
Mr. Krabs: Money
the krusty crack
Adam Bernal 👀😂
Mon-knee-Ayee 🤣
The last comment “to leave him bankrupt on top of everything else” how heart breaking!
Their objective is to keep the patient alive as long as possible, not to cure them but to sell more drugs. Watch this: The Cancer Cure Cover-Up ua-cam.com/video/qQKaCTdrmJc/v-deo.html
My friend had a motorcycle accident happen.. hospital for weeks or so. They sent a bill for 1.5million. this is someone with basic job and american life. now his credit is ruined for life obviously and he is handicapped and unable to get full support .. unless he wins the lotto he has to struggle forever basically living with others or renting for life
Oh my god I have goosebumps.
@@dertythegrower Thats not a robbery, thats a Grand Theft Auto Heist, these people should be rotting in jail!
just like the monopoly board game one person is rich and other person is left in tears
I don’t cry cause it’s just a game though
Welcome to Capitalism. God's way of deciding who is smart and who is poor.
@@ZSM174 smart or poor🤦 God🤦 good luck in life buddy.
@@sixtysyxti3235 I'm actually doing extremely well. Maybe if you were smarter you would do as well as me.
There are those who are rich or more who really care about people and then those who are rich and more and dont give a sheet about people and just keep taking and taking till traffic says fu and find ways around the greedy people or places.
Song @ 8:20 if anyone is curious ) ua-cam.com/video/oRGDhgITetc/v-deo.html
Hamilton is probably the best at vice.
Don't forget about Isobel!
Dont forget short i dubbbz
and Teji
Easily
definitely!
In india, 10 ml Insulin costs less than 2$
Generic revlimid costs 80$ for 28 pills
I am a biotechnologist and we hardly get paid 10000$ a year.
Also Indian courts regulate and allow for generic drugs so people can buy them
Move to the US
you living costs are also 1/4th in that economy bruh
Most people can't afford even those prices in India due to theocratic caste systems.
thats so sad, $28 in India and in America the richest country in the world people are dying because they cannot afford it! And if you aren't America as a bio technologist you would be paid extremely well God bless you for your work
i wish hamilton secretly bought a kilo for them
That 10gram gift would be enough for her whole life actually
Also that kilo would cost 300million$ in America so you def can’t pass that through an airport but you could easily get that 10grams out i guess
@@abdullahemad9457 I hope that's exactly what he did.
i am pretty sure he wanted to but he cant its just to risked especially now that the episode is aired there will be some assholes investigating on whether that women still buys that medicine or no and if she doesnt its jail for a hole crew and for the couple ..
stoopid that ziplock is worth more the most people in the U.S make in a lifetime not 3k. I’m sure the fucking gamble was worth it 😂
I think he worked something out for them
i still find it insane how americans still have to pay every penny of their hospital bills
it's disgusting I got charged 2000$ for a one hour hospital visit when I was 18 and they just sent me home and said nothing is wrong with me (was having heart palpitations)
I pay my hospital . It's taxes.
@@r.ladaria135 You are being deliberately obtuse.
@@Quoteory I got charged $12,000 for a 30 minute visit, I had my first panic attack
Cos - as Obama will tell you - they want to!! And this is because free meds = socialism, which, as the disenfranchised, oppressed populations of Sweden, Norway, Denmark et. al. will tell you, is an awful, heinous, diabolical thing. One should pay not for the value of a product but rather how much the product is valued; ergo no money = no honey, not even for the worker bees that frikkin made it!!
Because private corporations have a monopoly on drugs
I mean it feels like health care may be more accessible in India than a developed country like us. It is so ridiculous
a monopoly granted by the government
And an inept government
@@jaypwagner well they do pay for that with lobbying and gifts. So it acts as a private police or PMC do.
@@jaypwagner vote in people who will reform it and have a government who will actually work for its people.
GOD Bless the brave DIY chemists and everybody else involved for trying to make life-saving medicine costs reasonable.
As someone who is on meds for mental issues, I salute you!
Psilocybin
@@IllnessXBL Totally agree, that's the real medicine. It did wonders for me.
@@bojeboydk Oh, good. As a few internet strangers' good old fashioned anecdotal experiences will show, hallucinogenic compounds are a one stop shop for fixing mental illness.
Pharmacists
The United States has a problem... the healthcare system
The corrupt government, the military industrial complex, mass shooting, massive public and private debt, economic inequality, deregulation and low taxes for the rich, homeless crisis, high stress, and political polarization. Did I miss anything?
@@rsync9490 the unfair Prison system and Justice system that also corrupt.
@@rsync9490 struggling small scale farmers and small scale manufacturing businesses , occasional police brutality , sanctuary cities , higher violent crime rate than other developed countries , lack of universal healthcare , costly higher education , overdose deaths etc.
I might have missed a few...
@#Rsync public education
Everyone should watch the video - Why america isn't the greatest country -
Man the last minute is brutal... I can imagine, dreaming your whole life with someone and having it all change because of the cost of medicine
What a SHAME for a country like the US! I am from a third-world country and anyone can afford diabetes treatment here!
Edit: Not only diabetes but also any heart diseases, hypertension, cholesterol problems, rheumatological conditions, eye problems, major surgeries etc.
@Frank Marano Medicare for all is also known as universal healthcare, which virtually every other country on earth guarantees. It's why in the early 2000s Dave chapelle made a joke about the crisis by recommending Americans buy fake Canadian passports to sneak into Canada to afford healthcare. It's sad how bad things have to get for people to start wanting change
True but I would still live in the US
Food choices will prevent diabetes
@@pedroramirez3734
From a first world country with a higher living standard then the US and everyone can afford it
@@bathroombandit8954 Type 1 diabetes is an auto-immune disease and is not caused by a bad diet.
Why drugs are so expensive? Short answer edition: Corporate greed.
Which are all republicans
No, no, no...you see ...the parameters of the market, juxtaposed with the systemwide specifications of incremental adjustments causing an elevation in fiscal stimulus resulting in a higher maintenance cost per unit.😐
Truth Hurts preach
@@brettrobinson2901 🤣🤣 I love this comment and also price fixing.
@@robedwards7285 my friend, all is but much. Greed transcends politics and religion.
My dad was on Revilmid for two years. I had to apply for grants to get his medication. Out of pocket was $12k. Insurance paid $7k. We had to pay $500 each month. I found a non-profit agency that was willing to help pay the rest that insurance didn’t covered.
Revilmid is about 30$usd in australia. :(
@@SoIanine MURICAAAA FREE MARKET CAPITALISM.
what was the non profit name I'm sure some people would love to donate
It costs 12$usd for 10 capsules in India
@@Quoteory i donate for a trip to shanghai where he can get his dose for life for a couple k
Hamilton putting pharma reps on blast after knowing how much they pay per kilo. Mad respect.
Canada has it a lot better in a lot of ways, but prescription prices can still be hell without good coverage.
its better in the UK £9 for any meds
@@bunnylakeisntmissing thats the llie they tell you! In reality the nhs will only supply cheapest crap youd have to pay for private dr for the best medication in the uk and that is a fact.. Not many people realise that weed is actually legal now in the uk for medical use cos the government wanna keep it quiet the nhs wont let you have it though you have to pay for private healthcare if you want anything decent in the uk trust me but sadlymost the population are so brainwashed they dont know the basic stuff they should!
Feel so sorry for the lady and her husband , what they have to pass through due to other peoples greed...
Why do doctors especially oncologists charge so much? Why lawyers charge so much, they too are greedy then.
By the way do you work for free? Then by what right does a cheetah judge a tiger?
Watch WSJ's video on drug prices. The real mother fuckers are Pharmacy Benefit Managers aka middle men.
This is the kind of content we expect from vice.
This is A grade content I’m happy to have this back
Despite this episode being depressing, that couple really showed what true love is. Being with each other thru thick and thin.
Excellent job on this. It really shows the corporate greed involved when it comes to pricing medicine. Also the toll it takes on a middle-class family.
12:20 look at how he dodges the questions and gives vague answers. plain gross.
thenameisbananaboy Maurice
Long story short wheat he said was that the money put into research need to be made back and then its profit time
Just gonna say, dude released a master class on how to avoid answering other people's questions and instead answering your own...
I’ll save y’all 16 minutes “greed”
thx. Just like all the other issues in america
Watch it tho, its pretty good. Especially when he goes to China
Mini doc was actually great and worth the time.
Goddamn it comments like these infuriate me to no end. "Greed", what a shitty reasoning is that. People simply are greedy on average, period. That is why capitalist system has established itself, cause it usually makes greed work for the good of all. If greed worked for the good of all here and those pharmaceuticals really ARE overpriced, then greedy me could just manufacture and/or source them myself and undercut all the "big evil pharma", giving people in need access to these medicines at lower cost AND making a ton of profit doing it.
For some regulatory reason which isn't explained in this video (I'm not American, maybe it's common knowledge there?) people cannot do that. So you see it's not "greed" that's the problem it's actually some stupid shortsighted regulation somewhere in the system.
@@PoisonHeadcrab2 regulation? No. It's called patent. Patentholders dictate prices. It's still greed. Not all patent holders decide to go down this path. Stop portraying the world as black and white, not everyone is as big of an asshole as people willing to deny people the right to life.
Capitalism can work beautifully, hell, it mostly does in the majority of the west. Capitalism is the most fair system we have to date. The problem is the idea that the market should be unregulated. That causes EXACTLY this type of bullshit where the first people on the ball can dictate the terms. The first people on the ball are the ones with money, aka the people with power over the system. It's a feedback loop.
“Why drugs are so expensive”
Short and most accurate answer: Greed favored over humanity.
@@nill5217 how do you get into that so i dont have to complain lol
RonaldWeasleysWife cause billions of dollars to research each drug
Pascal Lo Buono what about the stock itself?
Sarah Jane Mugi Dann if u look at the income of Ann Indian and see how much they pay and do the same with Americans ... it’s literally the same
@@cman1279 what? Indian monthly salary is typically 1/5 to what an american would make in a comparable job, lets say the construction industry.
if we are onabout buying drugs, then india still gets them far cheaper in SOME circumstances, like insulin etc.
from a 2015 search someone states they pay 450Ruples per insulin pen, $6.34.
typically they are bought in quantity of 5 so 5x $6.34 is $31.7 dollars, in america they can cost up to "retail prices in the US are around the $300 range for all insulins from the three major brands that control the market. Even accounting for inflation, that's a price increase of over 1,000%."
the only problem that indians face is there pay is still so low that even cheaper comparisons still work to end up the same percentile costs a others.
It's amazing looking at Hamilton's eyes scanning the body language of the suite.
Why private company are selling at inflated prices?
Ans:. Becoz nobody is stopping them
The Mexicans will pay for it I bet...
@Jeet Kewalramani lol imagine voting libertarian
It isn't just 'no one stopping them', it requires constant (expensive) active enforcement with state powers.
Because they're so rich and powerful and have spent millions lobbying congress, the average person can't stop them.
@Al Castill And get fast fortune when you sell it back at US
This shows how garbage this country has become.
With everything going down the way it is, we deserve every ounce of repercussions coming our way. Been getting away with corruption for far too long
Your garbage
Yeah there are serious aspects that are garbage. However the beauty of this country is that we can do things to change it. Bernie 2020
The only 1st country without universal healthcare and the only country which can get you in debt just by going to University also visiting the hospital can get you bankrupt
@@franksmith1956 bootlicker
10 dollars in China vs 3 million in the US how is this not a human rights issue
because its america. the UN is located in new york. the UN doesnt give a shit what america does. if they did they would have done something about their warmongering terrorist regime a long time ago. point is america can literally do everything and no human rights organization or the UN or what ever is doing anything about it. america is good the rest of the world who does a better job then america in literally everything is bad.
You're damn right it is an American human rights issue - watch this: The Cancer Cure Cover-Up ua-cam.com/video/qQKaCTdrmJc/v-deo.html
if i remember correctly earlier in the video the women said $2,500 for a kilo which would be $2.50 for 10 grams. even then he got something in america that would cost $3,000,000 for free.
gilbert warner-bore because the Congress says it’s not. Yet China might need some democracy as well.
"why drug are so expensive"
Edit: " IN THE USA"
Love Hamilton. He's so passionate and knowledgeable.Vice should bring him back
here's another compassionate person; a Doctor and his attempt to be compassionate to cancer victims - watch this: The Cancer Cure Cover-Up ua-cam.com/video/qQKaCTdrmJc/v-deo.html
@@anon2019 That was pretty intresting, thanks
Season 3 was announced for 2020
@@RckDtar That's awesome!
A good to know fact-
3ml insulin costs $9 in India!!
SHAME ON YOU U.S.A
Hisan Kidwai send me some for my mom we can’t afford it
@@jvalenzuela1298 bro you need medical prescription to buy insulin.
@@jvalenzuela1298 visit Mexico or Canada, you better settle down there
Send me email gillsparsh10@gmail.com
@@jvalenzuela1298 send me email anujamodi007 at gmil com
Vice is quite a peculiar media company; half of their content is directly an absolute trash, the other half is some really interesting artwork.
ive wasted my time watching too much other "trash" on youtube, to disrespect Vice like that
andreas andreas they have to make that trash to produce these shows. Quantity makes money
tbh it is mainly hamiltion with the other half at this point
Hamilton is the only one I will watch. Vice is a rag
Yea they straight up ran out of content for awhile, theyve been getting better recently though.
Was once told “everyone dies” by a medical professional when I brought up the cost of meds, and the ability to afford them or not
This breaks my heart, now i understand why people want universal healthcare.
remember when ''big pharma'' used to be a conspiracy theory?
Stefan Ayache remember when big pharma spends billions of dollars to research products and try to make a profit in return??
Stefan Ayache that what I thought... look up billlionairs... do u see and big pharma people??
@@cman1279 the government spends more money than pharmaceutical companies to research cures and medicines
Stefan Ayache and and compare drug cost: income ratio to an Indian.... it’s a lot cheaper for us Americans
No
10:17 Hamilton's face lighting up when he was told they're going to a Lenalidomide factory reminds me Charlie's expression when he found a golden ticket to Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory
My husband and I are a young version of the couple shown here. We always saved and were very smart with our money compared to others our age and at 24 all of that is already mostly gone. We have been together for 8 years and I think every day how I will probably not be here to grow old with him, I will take and take all of his money just to survive and leave him with nothing. I am very lucky to have him but I would give anything to change my illness or even my country of origin. The US government will never help me survive in any way and I think constantly that I would rather give up medical care than keep going through this and waste my husbands life. I feel for this couple so deeply..
Have you considered moving to 3rd world country? Health care is not bad where I live, its not top notch but it is available.
In America, GREED and MONEY will always be worth more than HUMAN LIVES!!!!
This is very very far from true, in other words you're just taking a group of people and blaming everyone for one persons actions. Quite similar to racism. I am an American and I value life over a fixed non dependable currency.
America : selling expensive drugs.
Meanwhile India and China: Allow us to introduce ourselves.
That woman is concerned that Revlimid bought from India wouldn't work. Does she thinks we make the drugs in the same cow shed where we worship our MOST SACRED COWS ?
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Yup
Ya dangerous unregulated medications. Might cure your ailment, might put you in a coma. No need to worry.
@@kayrulz9337 she's brainwashed even as she's dying... I'd take the chance
@@emceehammer8054 not really it's the same drug regardless. it's like the difference between a $5 bottle of wine and a $50 bottle, you're getting the same drug (alcohol) in it either way.
We all know my man gave that gift to the lady
Unfortunately,ly most likely he didn't unless he smuggled it in as he would get done for life for bringing in drugs
I’m pretty sure if that chemical isn’t a controlled substance he couldn’t go to jail for it
@@saqibzaman1476 you're allowed to bring in prescription drugs at an airport as long as they aren't scheduled by the DEA.
I’m sure he would know how to put it into pill form, he’s a damn genius.
22,000 thousand dollars for meds, humanity is sick
USA is all money money money
Isn't it?
Thanos in daa hood
So is the rest of the world. USA is just in the extreme end of the greed spectrum
@@greenearth9945 if you have something for sale will you allow someone else to dictate the cost? 90% of drugs are useless
Money, greed, and cutting off baby 4zkin
Every day and every hour. Greed!
Abdelatif Ardone Get your head out of your ass, The US isn’t any different to the rest of the world.
High School Me: Pffft, I'll never need chemistry in real life.
Adult Broke Me: I wish I paid attention in Chemistry Class
Never to late to learn.
Buy a book college to pdf $15 😂 but honestly have a chemist in the family your good
You dont have to go to school for it i dropped out of high school n been making crack n meth ever since
Crack chemist switch to making insulin
@@supremeleaderharryballs8104 insulin is where money at bra
Pharma guy: "you know research and stuff is very expensive!!!" Every developed country except the US: *lol no*
It cost 100M to advance a drug to a phase 3 trial, not to mention “researches” look for false findings.
No it actually costs alot of money and pharma companies can take greater risks on new compounds with more capital. There is a trade-off with lowering thier money that nobody wants to talk about. Innovation comes at a cost.
@@smartsalmon1 sorry but you are on the wrong side.
@ dinung rai - actually he’s not. The cost of developing and testing a new drug takes years and is hideously expensive. Which is why it can generally only afford to be done in Europe or North America. Sure, some primitive looking lab in India or China (like the one seen in the video) can reproduce somebody else’s drug for next to nothing, but they’re just following an existing formula, they wouldn’t have a clue how to go about developing something new to treat an otherwise untreatable disease. Nor would they have any motivation to try even if they did know how, because the next lab down the road would just immediately copy it and sell it for even less.
What a lot of people don’t seem to understand, and unfortunately this video doesn’t do a great job of explaining, is that with modern medicines (unlike a lot of other consumer products) you are generally not paying for the raw materials and manufacturing cost of that individual dose, you are paying for the many, many years of research and testing that it took to discover that medication in the first place.
@@mattgrainger7084 that explains Operation Warp Speed?? Besides there are orphan drugs no profit-seeking company would ever bother developing. It’s not a great system unless you throw ethics out of the discussion.
I love that he's wearing a Sea Shepherd Conservation Society shirt
My dude was really holding $3 million in drugs in his hands
GIFTED 3 million in his hands😮
Tiff Inwonderland Fr tho
Retail value of a whole kilo at that price would be 300 million dollars, made in China, being sold for $2700 by a woman laughing like she would be robbing him at that price.
@@alexhamon9261 wasnt it 2400 USD?.. :)
@@tatabeat$2400, $2700. What's $300 when pharmaceutical company charges up to 125,000 times as much as the drug cost to buy from the factory? Tip the guy that lead you to the cancer drug factory.
It's actually heartbreaking to hear her upset that her terminal illness will leave her Husband penniless and alone after year of saving for the future.
Is this some American joke I'm too European to understand
Felix Hughes it’s a sad reality in America please seek else where than America if your planning to move
Our eurpoean goverments pay these sick ass prices too, we are also fooled.
@@simpasaurussmooth67 ah. Incorrect. Most european governments determine the prices of drugs. Drug companies can then accept that price or not sell on the european market.
They're still quite profitable, as the govt has no interest in making them unable to do further R&D. It just protects the sick from the profit margin hunters.
@@simpasaurussmooth67 12 Euro in Europe vs $350 in america. Yeah seems like the European governments are swimming in money.
It’s pretty messed up here, my brother has to travel to Germany 2 x a year for his lymes disease treatments, bc it not “approved” here...
this is why I’m so grateful for the PBS here In Australia, every single one of my medications costs $6.60 (aud) and i won’t be affected by price hikes, it’s too bad they wants to remove more and more meds from the PBS in order to make the AU medical system more like the US medical system which is a horrible model, but is cheaper for the government :/
Best "okay" I've ever heard in my life. 10:20
gheeshin 😂
😂😂😂
brother sounding like salad fingers 😂
This is really sad for Americans. Such a great country destroyed by private companies and corruption
so you would rather have no evil corporations? And No evil drugs? You should look in the mirror, your ignorance is whats truly evil.
yeah, definitely. bernie 2020, we need the same quality of healthcare as they have in china or india. are we really so far behind that no other country in the world has this issue.
i hope he brought those 10 grams back with him, either through postage, or even smuggling up in his body, i don't care how, but he better get that to her, along with information on dilution and dosage by volume of diluted solvent. 3 million dollars for 10 grams? that's insanity? that's more than any illegal drugs, hell, that's more expensive than fentanyl, with 10 grams being a million doses of fentanyl, and you can still get it cheaper than the cancer medication. it's absurd. absolutely and utterly obscene.
@@mattcrown300
Wtf are you talking about? Evil corps are why the world is so shitty. Most drugs are not evil, but the way they are marketed and use is evil.
The only one who seems ignorant here is YOU.
Matt Crown
no you intentionally dense assclown, we want the drug companies to stop jacking the prices of a 10 gram free sample into a 3 million dollar product for desperate people who can't afford to even stay alive. every other country in the world can do it. you're acting like america is a 3rd world country where it's normal to not be able to afford medication. even though a trash picker in most third world countries can afford their medication more easily than a middle class person in the usa.
the medications were created here, how are we spending more than everyone else? why are they raking in billions of dollars in profit, even after research expenditure? how can they afford to give hundred million dollar bonuses to their billionaire executives, when even middle class people in the *same fucking country* can't afford to get their medications? how does a free sample in china cost 3 million dollars in america? you are being intentionally dense, and we can all see through it, you corporate shill
Matt Crown what a dumbass comment lol
And Americans still don't want a general health care system smh
And Americans don’t want Bernie Sanders as president but want a corporate manipulative president ^_^ gotta love reverse psychology or we the people are retarded sheep I don’t know hurts my spirituality wondering how...
@ Gotta love reverse psychology smh
+Jo Jo You mean Americans don't want to be forced by a dictatorial govt to PAY insane amounts of taxes for an inefficient and corrupt health care system with long wait times, rationing, bureaucracy, fraud, and low quality results, none of which addresses the actual price gouging and actually solves the problem at its core.
@@Elhardt you mean they want to have to sell their houses and get their great grandchildren in debt for a simple treatment you get in other countries with a general health care system for free??
@@Elhardt fraud ? Corruption ? you dont see this as corruption and fraud ? LOL " Long Wait Times " Well in Canada just for example you have private hospitals which can help you in avoiding wait times and still they will cost you much less than us hospitals by much less i mean 20kusd-30kusd on average difference, " insane amount of taxes " i guess you prefer to pay insane amount of money on your healthcare and education hahaha surely your govt is way more democratic than scandinavians and danish.
I remember when Michael Moore made 'Sicko' in 2009 and there is a 'The Simpsons' episode when they went to Canada to buy more cheap medicine. This is a envolving problem.
Or set up a numerous secret programs for those in dire need to divorce (if married) and marry a Canadian. Both ex-husband and ex-wife marry Canadians and get free health care and drugs and reunite while in Canada. Idiotic idea I guess but these Americans suffering with illness, death, bankruptcy because of American drug companies might consider it. We Canadians are not socialists. I love Americans but their healthcare system makes America not so great as it could be.
my god we need to fix this. like its pathetic how greedy some people are and there are people dying and going into debt.
Brandon P ... Amen
Your God ? It’s it ours all ?
Brandon P Medicare.4.All.donate #Bernie2020
I love Hamilton Morris. Everything he ever does he does so well and really let’s you feel it. He has the best voice and is super knowledgeable with everything he talks about. My favorite person on the vide squad by a mile!! I wish there was a playlist with every piece he has done. I believe I’ve seen them all but I’d like to watch again lol
Here in Sweden prescribed medcicines are subsidized. There is a patient price cap at the pharmacy of c.a 280$ per year. So when you hit that 280$ in drugs; even if your cancer/diabetes/heart meds cost thousands of dollars.... you never ever pay more than 280$ per year. This helps the sickest and poorest to... stay alive basically.
damn bro u got ig or snap? dm me
Everyone cries about socialism until there dying and can't afford the medicine because of capitalism and start begging for subsidies. Always remember karma is a MF and what goes around comes around. Your votes matter. Put some thought and research into the positions and voting records of potential elected officials. It could t be more important. Imagine all the rednecks screaming hoorah I'm a Republican until they realize they have zero social security benefits because the republicans did away with the program just like that. All that money you lent the government and they just keep it and say " hey at least we can call ourselves conservatives " 😂
And yet when you go to Europe and Mexico, these drugs are no more than $5.00 for a whole bottle! 😪😖😞
Big Jay : not to sure , but I think you forgot Canada! Remember Bernie’s trip to Canada to get insulin!!
And yet many people die in deserts oceans to come to America I guess dealing with cartels or muslins its more death treating than buying a cheap drug
@@sirdavidoftor3413 - Very true!
@@israelvazquez9144 Did not know Europeans were fleeing to America?
@@israelvazquez9144 Maybe know one told them about this, or they are healthy
I hope off camera Hamilton gave her a lifetime supply
Same but unfortunately it's doubtful that Vice would approve such a liability risk. On the plus side, a generic of the drug covered in this documentary was recently approved in Europe and has been rolled out in a couple European countries (under the name Lenalidomide Alvogen), like in Romania or Croatia for example, so with a bit of luck someone will hopefully manage to illegally import it (and as it´s a European approved drug you can be as certain of its purity and efficacy as the American version). It's not as cheap as a Chinese or Indian version but much cheaper than in the US. According to a quick google search, the price of 28 tablets of 2.5mg lenalidomide costs over $23,000 in the US while 21 tablet of 5mg (so double the amount per tablet) costs under $2000 in Romania.
@@aurelienlux is this true?
@@cip77rian That the generic exists in Europe? Yes, if you look up Alvogen Lenalidomide you can see pictures of it. Only thing is that one does need a prescription to get it. So patients would need to travel at least once to Europe to get the initial prescription. But considering how expensive the drug is in the US it would probably still be worth it.
I found it in my country but is it true that it is so expensive in the states?
@@cip77rian Yes in the US it's sold under the name Revlimid and it now costs over $750 per pill (it used to be under $250 when it was first launched in 2005). So a month supply which is usually between 21 and 28 pills gets very costly. At the very least it's over $16,000 but can reach over $20,000. Some people get it cheaper if they have really good insurance but that can get costly too and not everyone can have good insurance.
*"this is why Americans are partially in debt."*
*"Greed"*
Partially in debt? FULLY IN DEBT!!!!
I feel that in some cases it is better to be upper middle class in India than be a middle class in us.
@@susk3326 Isn't that the fucking truth.
Translate in hindi
I wish it was as simple as greed
11:10 $3 Million offered as a free fucking sample. Disgusting.
And here i am in Sweden, only having to pay a maximum of around 250$ in a 12 month period, after that, it’s free
Robin L healthcare in Europe is much better than in US. US does not have the best Healthcare system in the world it has one of the worst benefitting of the poor
.. Unless it's some specific drugs that are not covered by the högkostnadsskydd. Have you seen the price of Sativex for instance?
HmzaYT wrong snowflake
U.S has one of the best cancer survival rates
In fact our life expectancy is so high for being a country that’s so fat
So he have great quality but it’s just very expensive
Out of pocket? Are you also accounting for the 40% tax you pay for that healthcare?
Hahaha I pay $71 per week for insurance.. $3000 deductible. I go monthly to the dr and have to pay $145 out of pocket and that doesn't even count toward my deductible. America keeps the poor ppl poor
10:21 the pure joy when Hamilton realizes he's going to visit the API factory XD
10:20 the official creepiest “OK” ever said
Johnny Lotto agree
The owners are always very proud and eager to show their facilities. See how casually they gave him 10g for free to test, all while just chatting and sipping tea.
"To leave him bankrupt on top of everything else it's bad enough that we're not gonna get that 50th anniversary". What a poignant thing to end this video on. Such a debilitating situation they are in.
The crazy thing is most country’s citizens would start a revelation over this. I guess we forgot how to do it,huh.
kevin gregory read the reasoning.....
America spends billions of $ and years or decades to research each drug... Chinese and Indians steel the research and mass produce them... Americans make at least 50 times more than an Indian so Americans have to pay more (and it’s less in proportion of drug cost to income for an American to an Indian). Also look up richest people in the world... see any pharma people? That’s what I thought
Im literally in tears right now. Im so sick of American greed. This needs to stop.
so you would rather have no evil corporations? And No evil drugs? You should look in the mirror, your ignorance is whats truly evil.
There should be federal law that says if you charge X percent more for product then a product tax of an equal percentage is imposed. Corporations can be jailed too, that's every employee which provides incentives to behave ethically. And any retaliation is not tolerated. not jacking up prices and lowering production rates would rewarded heavily. This promotes ethical business. Product prices and quantities would be included in the tax forms made by the citizens for records and law checks. This what I'd like aoc and sanders to go for and you should message them on this and make it a bill or executive order
@@mattcrown300 excuse me? Are you aware of how ignorant u sound? I want to get rid of those corporations! My father had cancer and was diabetic and died because of it! It cost us so much just to keep him alive! How about you stop talking and go back to class!
@@mattcrown300 by the way I'm a beautiful person with a beautiful soul. I spent my high school years volunteering at food pantry's and nursing homes! Donated my leftover blankets and towels to animals shelters. How about you practice what you preach kid!
@@kiedranFan2035 Bernie talks about this type of stuff often. My brother-in-law is a huge supporter of him. Bernie already wants to make a change.
If anyone's wondering the song is Homage by Mild High Club.
Thanks!
thanks!!!!
Thought it said midnight club
Here from r/mildhighclub, listen to the entirety of both their full length albums
bro I overlooked this video for so long, and then autoplay gets me here and it's with Dr. N-Butyllithium? As a fellow chemist, I've been what you could call a fan for years.
Nicely done Hamilton!
So this crime syndicate doesn't kill people , they just let them die.
"Crime Syndicate"... that nails it on the head! Here's proof. Watch this: The Cancer Cure Cover-Up ua-cam.com/video/qQKaCTdrmJc/v-deo.html
Anon it doesn’t allow me to click the link can u email it to me
Bernie: Medicare for all!
Biden: This is America
Ha
Medicare for all won't change the prices, we'll just pay for it in a roundabout way
@@SA2004YG Agreed, we need to allow the government to negotiate on the behave of Medicare Supply for the benefit of the people and not the corporations like the rest of the world. Our laws are designed to benefit large industry. Its time to vote for changing the rules.
Tax lobbying (Warren ideas) would help curb large money interests (many industries would benefit, make USA stronger). New laws to minimize political corruption with checks, balances, and increased transparency.
goodvibration It will make the prices go up. Nobody likes overpaying more than Uncle Sam. It’s time to have a war on corruption. The dirtbags have ran things long enough. Time to shine a light on the swine and send them packing.
@@SA2004YG that is just factually untrue, especially for the united states
"we're not gonna get that 50th anniversary" 😭
He looks so happy at 10:17 when he spontaneously gets invited to a factory
do u have the guys number
who called the factory
Question: Why are drugs so expensive?
Answer: IPR
India and China: Lol
Cartel in Mexico: *first time?*
Cartel drugs are actually cheaper than some pharmaceutical drugs.
centozo black market always undercuts prices unless it is something which is completely outlawed and the BM is the only source. I just wish more things would be regulated instead of being deemed dangerous and banned. e.g. Kratom
I honestly don't know how some people live w/themselves. I can't imagine taking money from sick people or letting them die if they can't pay. Its just unreal, How do they sleep at night or walk w/their head's held high?!?!? I'm truly saddened by this video or really the demons that have been brought to light.
PaperDoll Baby
Greed and psycopathy
@@greenearth9945 I guess I'd have to agree w/you. Its still just unbelievable to me like how were these people raised? I feel like from day one my parents said "be kind to everyone,as in turn the other cheek" I raised my children the same. No money or power would change this.
How do they walk with their heads held high? Because their pockets are fat and their heads are inflated. Sadly, I think that's all it is most of the time. When your desire for money and power outweighs your sense of community and compassion that's how your brain works. And as Americans that's is what we're conditioned to believe is important. It's all over television "dramas" and in the ads stuffed between them. You can't buy all the cool new shiney... useless stuff without the money.
because it is easy to ignore suffering when it is far removed from you, or you have a justification that you can believe in. Everyone does similar things to others, difference is in the scale.
@@greenearth9945 this unfortunately
The sad thing is Dr. Banting didn't patent insulin because he wanted it to be easily available to anyone who needed it. Little did he know that 100 years later it would still be too expensive for so many....
There’s no money in curing disease money in treating
Short answer: Corporations get handouts from the Government via patents. Patents= no competition.
EDIT: Patent loopholes/abuse, to be more precise.
Then how do you suggest we fund medical research ? There has to be a solution right.
Patents are needed, but loopholes needed to be fixed.
@@666yaoz what loopholes and how would you suggest we fix them ?
J. Garner read the reasoning.....
America spends billions of $ and years or decades to research each drug... Chinese and Indians steel the research and mass produce them... Americans make at least 50 times more than an Indian so Americans have to pay more (and it’s less in proportion of drug cost to income for an American to an Indian). Also look up richest people in the world... see any pharma people? That’s what I thought
Krishanu Kashyap read my comment above
It's heartbroken to imagine the faithful husband in the future without the love of his life.
8:35 now thats a good music choice right there