Statins crazy expensive in BKK?

[allencraig]

In Vietnam, I'd been buying generic atorvastatin statins for 25 cents for a box of 30 10mg pills. Yup, 25 cents, and they were real.

 

Here in BKK, there's only two options available, made by Novartis and Pfizer, at $45 for the same amount. I went to three pharmacies, including Osotsala. There's a ton of generic versions available all over the world, why are they so expensive here?

 

And do any of you old farts have ideas on getting them for a more reasonable price? Thanks for any insight and suggestions.

[Cadbury]

I call bullshit on that statement that in Vietnam statins are 5800 VND = 25 cents US (for a packet of 30 x 10 mg tablets.

I have been living in Vietnam (as well as Thailand) for 12 years and have never paid that little for a packet of 30 in Vietnam and I buy them nearly every month except when in Thailand. More like plus/minus 200,000 VND per pack in Vietnam. You must be talking about per pill.

Nonetheless Thai pharmacists are as bigger cheats as anyone in Thailand and I am not surprised at your claim about the fact the are so much more expensive in Thailand. But again I find you claim they are US$45 in Thailand as outrageous as your first claim about Vietnam. I usually pay about 750 to 1000 baht ( US$25 to $35) for 20mg pills in Bangkok.

Try getting a pill splitter (20 mg to 2 X 10mg), that might save you some money and the trouble to write BS stories like you have in this instance.

Anyway welcome newbie. I am sure you can do better next time.

[Sheryl]

Simvastatin is quite affordable here, many local brands. And works as well as atrivastatin in moist people.

 

if you for some reason require atrovastatin instead these are the locally made brands:

 

Atorvin

Chlovas

 

Make sure yo ugo to real pharmacies and not to a Boots or Watsons, which tend toi only carry small range of meds and usually the most expensive imprted brands..

 

 

[JAS21]

I pay 680thb for 30 Atorvastatin 20mg ..Sandoz ...that comes out at just less than 23thb each. I also pay 890thb for Ezetimibe again Sandoz.  It is approximately the same price if I buy at the Pharmacy on Ngam Wong Wan road or CCIT or Chulabhorn research Institute.  Used to be free when i lived in the UK .. Of course you could always change to B Statin ...costs peanuts.

 

$45 is almost 1400thb ... wake up at the back ,,,????

[anchadian]

15 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

 

Yes, Simvastatin pack of 10 are only B16,

 

 

[luk AJ]

Lipitor 2700 THB for 30x 20mg


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[JAS21]

16 minutes ago, luk AJ said:

Lipitor 2700 THB for 30x 20mg


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

Aren't Lipitor and Atorvastatin the same thing ...

[SteveK]

1 minute ago, JAS21 said:

Aren't Lipitor and Atorvastatin the same thing ...

Yes.

[amykat]

Maybe the poster is math impaired and is misplacing decimals or something all that big Viet money??  Even in India the cheapest drugs are usually  $1 or 2 per package.  Have to consider the cost just of packaging also!!!

 

 

[rodknock]

i buy bestatin 20mg. 100 170baht

[sammieuk1]

Free on the NHS beat that then bring them here????

[KittenKong]

1 hour ago, rodknock said:

i buy bestatin 20mg. 100 170baht

Where? That's somewhat less than what I pay at Fascino which itself is cheaper than other pharmacies I looked at.

[Oxx]

9 hours ago, rodknock said:

i buy bestatin 20mg. 100 170baht

 

And I buy Bestatin (simvastatin) 40 mg 100s for 300 baht.  Cut them in half and it would be even cheaper.

[onera1961]

Make a trip to India and buy medicine cheap. 

[wgdanson]

8 hours ago, KittenKong said:

Where? That's somewhat less than what I pay at Fascino which itself is cheaper than other pharmacies I looked at.

Bestatin 10mg for a box of 100 is Bht 150 at my pharmacy in P'lok.

[thailand49]

10 hours ago, rodknock said:

i buy bestatin 20mg. 100 170baht

In the States I use to be on Lipitor 20mg, numbers were low and no problems.  My research indicated that generic might not be the same in strength?

Here in Thailand, years ago I started on Bestatin 40,  At Facino a box 100 cost higher 260, now it is up to 320?  actually another pharmacy cost me more than Facino.

After a few months my numbers dropped so low I said to myself 40mg might be too much so I went to 20mg price much lower, after a few months tested again my numbers went back up so back to 40mg and numbers lower again.

Even at 320 baht a box happy to pay that!

[Oxx]

36 minutes ago, thailand49 said:

In the States I use to be on Lipitor 20mg, numbers were low and no problems.  My research indicated that generic might not be the same in strength?

 

Bestatin is not generic Lipitor.  It's an older drug.

 

Lipitor is atorvastatin, Bestatin is simvastatin.  One needs to take twice as much simvastatin to have the same effect as atorvastatin.

 

So, if you were on 20 mg Lipitor, the equivalent for Bestatin (or any other generic simvastatin) is 40 mg.

[Sheryl]

A flaming post has been removed

[allencraig]

No Cadbury, the OP isn't full of shit, or math-impaired, amykat. He, rather, me, was buying in Hanoi right across the street from the French hospital in Dong Da. I know how to count dong as I lived there for almost two years.

 

Based on input I received from someone on a Facebook group, I happily found Bestatin 20s at Rungroj Pharmacy in On Nut for a good price. (Not as good as in Hanoi, but good.)

 

Not sure why TV wasn't alerting me that you guys were replying to my post, otherwise I would have seen the Bestatin advice here. So, thank you all who made that suggestion!!