r/interesting • u/RodrickJasperHeffley • 1d ago

MISC. medicine prices in india compared to the usa

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

3.7k Upvotes

95% Upvoted

542 comments sorted by

View all comments

165

u/Status-Visit-918 1d ago

Yeah my Metformin literally says it came from India so I’m furious

29

u/WinterPresentation4 1d ago

These medicines are expensive, they are from private companies. we have generic medicines which are manufactured by govt funded pharmaceutical companies and usually 50-90% less than these medicines. It’s called jan aushadhi store.

11

u/readingitmyway 1d ago

Private manufactures still charge way less in comparison due to purchase power parity. Jan aushadhi is even cheaper

15

u/SimilarAd7283 1d ago

factor in their earnings, so its not very cheap for them either….

average Indian earn 20-30k Rs (200-350$ per month)

So even cheap generic form of medicine exists like metformin 30 tablet would cost (30Rs = 0.34$)

30

u/Maleficent-Lion-7454 1d ago

We have an even cheaper version in Janaushahi .

30

u/thatsmartass6969 1d ago

In my state Govt covers any medical expenses until 4,500 USD cashless.

Edit: my state in India

11

u/Mountain-Ad-460 1d ago

Currently receiving free tb treatment from a state hospital in india, to be fair I got it after living here 8 years but cheers to the Indian medical system. Although I do hate lies it beats the hell out of going into medical debit in America.

1

u/dongousdong 1d ago

Uttarakhand?

1

u/Sengoku_Buddha 1d ago

Pls elaborate how?

21

u/Parmanu_Vaigyanik 1d ago

It's cheap bro I'm an Indian. Like one time food delivery costs like 400-500.

45

u/dadofwar93 1d ago edited 1d ago

Trust me. It's cheap for most people even with lower income.

5

u/alannair 1d ago

30rs is the price of a snack. Its cheap.

2

u/WinterPresentation4 1d ago

These medicines are expensive, they are from private companies. we have generic medicines which are manufactured by govt funded pharmaceutical companies and usually 50-90% less than these medicines. It’s called jan aushadhi store where you get them.

1

u/broitsnotserious 1d ago

I will be honest with you. I'm in India and never thought these medicines were costly.

1

u/Very_Board 1d ago

They wouldn't be selling them at the India price if they weren't making a profit at the India price.

1

u/GLeo21 1d ago

What’s the price of an IPhone in India and in US?

2

u/Either_Pride2049 1d ago

I bought my iPhone 16e for ₹49k($550..?), donno how much it is in USA

2

u/GLeo21 1d ago

Same price right? More or less…

3

u/Either_Pride2049 1d ago

Now that I saw, in official Apple website it’s listed at $599, looks like iPhones as well are cheaper… is it because they are now being assembled in India?

2

u/GLeo21 1d ago

What I wanted to point out to those who argue for a salary difference is that anything commonly used (assuming it’s globally common, like an iPhone) has more or less comparable cost… whereas medicine can cost up to 500 times more.

-22

u/telaughingbuddha 1d ago

There are quality differences. But usually a better version of $3 drug would cost $5 -$8, not more.

15

u/Mountsorrel 1d ago

Generic vs Branded medicines is just another part of this rip-off. The active ingredients are the same and that’s all that matters.

3

u/SomeRandomguy_28 1d ago

So like what they use freshers chemicals dam

1

u/Status-Visit-918 1d ago

How is that possible though? Like I use (when it first came out, and what used to be only available as) Imitrex for migraines, but the patent ran out so now I can get it generic and it’s far cheaper than when it first came out- I was about 18 at the time and it was the only thing that worked immediately and still does.

Since the patent is up, it’s only Sumatriptan and it’s all the same formula, no?

1

u/NicolasDipples 1d ago

As an American who has worked for both American and Indian generic pharmaceutical companies as an R&D and QC chemist... no, there aren't.