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Have you ever noticed that the price of the same drug in hospitals and pharmacies is so different? For example, an anti-inflammatory drug called "Baifule" is only priced at 13.8 yuan in hospitals, but the price in ordinary pharmacies is as high as 140 yuan, a price difference of nearly 10 times! This makes one wonder, what is the reason behind this?
First of all, we need to understand the fundamental difference between hospitals and pharmacies in terms of drug pricing mechanisms. The hospital implements the national centralized procurement price, which means that the hospital can directly purchase drugs in large quantities by cooperating with pharmaceutical companies, so as to enjoy a lower purchase price.
Due to the large number of patients in the hospital and the fast turnover of medicines, there is no need to worry about the expiration of medicines, which also allows hospitals to provide medicines to patients at a lower price.
In contrast, pharmacies have their own pricing power. As self-financing individuals, pharmacies have different purchase channels from hospitals, and cannot enjoy the price advantage brought by large-scale procurement. In addition, pharmacies are also responsible for expenses such as store rent, staff salaries, and drug wear and tear, which are ultimately reflected in the selling price of the drugs. As a result, drug prices in pharmacies tend to be higher than in hospitals.
So why is there such a huge difference in price between hospitals and pharmacies for the same anti-inflammatory drug?
First, the procurement channels and scale are different
There are significant differences in the channels and scales of drug procurement between hospitals and pharmacies. Hospitals often work with large pharmaceutical companies to directly purchase drugs in large quantities, and this procurement model helps to reduce the cost of medicines. Pharmacies, on the other hand, tend to purchase drugs from wholesalers, which are purchased in relatively small quantities and through a variety of purchase channels, resulting in relatively high prices.
2. Operating costs and profit considerations
As a retail terminal, pharmacies need to bear operating costs such as store rent, employee salaries, and drug loss. These costs are eventually passed on to the selling price of medicines, making drug prices higher in pharmacies than in hospitals. In addition, in order to obtain higher profits, pharmacies often choose some drugs with larger profit margins for sale, which will also lead to differences in drug prices.
Third, the impact of market supply and demand
The relationship between supply and demand in the market is also an important factor affecting the price of drugs. When there is a high demand for a drug, pharmacies may take the opportunity to raise prices to make higher profits. However, because the hospital implements the national centralized procurement price, its drug price is relatively less affected by the market supply and demand.
Fourth, the difference between drug quality and brand
While the same anti-inflammatory drug may have the same ingredients in hospitals and pharmacies, factors such as the quality of the drug, the manufacturing process, and the brand name can also lead to price differences. Some well-known brands of drugs or higher quality drugs tend to be more expensive.
5. Pharmacy marketing strategy and consumer psychology
When pharmacies sell drugs, they often use the psychology of consumers to sell them. For example, a pharmacy might place drugs with higher profit margins in a prominent position and recommend them to consumers. And some consumers who do not understand the knowledge of drugs are easily persuaded by salesmen to buy drugs with higher prices.
6. Policy factors and regulatory environment
National policies and regulatory environments can also have an impact on drug prices. In recent years, the National Health Insurance Administration and other departments have continuously strengthened the supervision of drug prices and promoted the quality and expansion of centralized pharmaceutical procurement. However, due to the independent pricing power of pharmacies, their drug prices may still fluctuate due to a variety of factors.
Faced with the huge difference in drug prices between hospitals and pharmacies, how can we, as consumers, respond?
We need to maintain a rational consumption mentality. When buying medicines, don't blindly pursue high-priced drugs or listen to the exaggerated claims of salesmen. Instead, you should choose the right medicine according to your condition and the doctor's advice.
We can use Internet resources to compare online and offline prices. In many cases, online pharmacies are able to offer more competitive prices due to lower operating costs. Of course, when choosing an online pharmacy, you also need to pay attention to its reputation and qualifications to avoid being deceived.
Finally, we can also avoid falling into the trap of buying drugs by carrying a doctor's prescription and choosing a well-known chain pharmacy. The doctor's prescription can clarify the name, brand and manufacturer of the drug, so as to avoid being misled by the salesperson; Well-known chain pharmacies pay more attention to corporate image and reputation, and their pricing is relatively reasonable and the quality of drugs is guaranteed.
In summary, there are many reasons for the price difference of the same anti-inflammatory drug between hospitals and pharmacies by nearly 10 times, including procurement channels and scale, operating costs and profit considerations, market supply and demand, drug quality and brand differences, pharmacy marketing strategies and consumer psychology, policy factors and regulatory environment, etc.
As consumers, we need to understand the reasons behind these things, maintain a rational consumption mentality, and choose the right drug purchase channels to ensure that our rights and interests are not infringed.
Personal opinion: I think the existence of drug price differences is the result of the role of the market mechanism, but it also reflects that there are still some problems to be solved in the mainland pharmaceutical market.
In order to protect the rights and interests of patients and the healthy development of the pharmaceutical market, we need to strengthen the supervision of drug prices, promote the popularization and improvement of centralized pharmaceutical procurement, and improve consumers' drug knowledge and self-protection awareness. Only in this way can we make the pharmaceutical market more fair, transparent and reasonable, so that every patient can enjoy high-quality and low-cost medical services.
The above content is for reference only, if you feel unwell, please consult a medical professional. If you like it, you can pay attention to it, share health knowledge every day, and be your exclusive online doctor.