Are medicine prices regulated in Thailand

[Anthony5]

Or is this another quick rich scheme.

Today I needed Naproxen tablets to heal an inflammation.

As I'm not interested in overpriced medication I went to Fascino and asked for generic Naproxen. They told me they had only the one from Roche, which I think is an original brand, so I refused and walked to another pharmacy just 50 meters away.

They indeed had the generic version at 65 Baht for a strip of 10 x 250mg.

They had the Roche version also, and when I inquired about the price they told me it was 250 Baht for a strip of 10 x 250mg.

At Fascino that strip was 110 Baht.

Was someone pulling my leg or can one ask whatever he wants for medicines?

I now also start to wonder if I overpaid for the generic version if their original one is priced 2.5 times the price from Fascino.

[Farma]

I believe only medicines from the GPO are price regulated. They have the price printed on the packaging.

Pharmacies have their own mark ups for other medicines and the percentage can vary between pharmacies close to each other.

[lopburi3]

As said there is no controlled price at hospitals or drug stores - this is a current proposal of government - to set such limits - but if/when is in the distance at best.

That said the market does regulate to some extent - and stores selling high are likely not to have many repeat customers. Hospitals are less fickle and there the markups can be up to 300% or more over cheaper options.

That said you will always find someone saying they bought cheaper - maybe they did - but maybe they are confused or mistaken. Also buying without extra travel is often worth a few baht and knowing facility is a controlled environment (air on all the time - controlled temp storage actually done) might make it worth paying more. Then there is the issue of expired or actual fake medicine issues (although this would more likely be small/street type places).

[Sheryl]

As above. The manufacturers/distributors set a wholesale price. Drug stores and hospital pharmacies add to this their mark up and nothing other than market forces limits them in doing so. Generally speaking this works ok with drug stores with price differences among them not huge but private hospital pharmacies are egregious with mark ups often in excess of 200%. There is now, for the first time, talk of regulating this.

Big retail pharmacies like Fascinos generally have the lowest prices for two reasons (1) the large volume they sell enables them to purchase from distributors in bulk, which provides a discount and (2) a large volume of sales enables them to make a reasonable profit with just a tiny mark up. Whereas smaller pharmacies have to mark up more to earn the same.

Another factor that can lead to larger than usual differences in cost esp. Name brands is length of time the drug has been in stock and increases in distributor price. Pharmacies sell based on the price they purchased at. It sometimes happens that there has been a recent price increase but some stores are still selling old stock at the earlier price.

It is also not unusual for clerks to make mistakes, such as confusing price per box with price per strip.

[Konini]

I like Pharma Choice and Fascinos - I have to order in meds regularly and they give me a discount over and above the 5% I get with the 'Member Card'. I've seen others pay more for the same things I'm buying.

I've formed the opinion that when you walk up to the counter in a small pharmacy, the pharmacist is sizing you up and will charge what he thinks you will pay. Maybe that isn't the case, it's just the way I have come to see it.

I'm just thankful that we can get pretty much everything we need (apart from paracetamol with codeine, they only prescribe at hospitals and in my (one) experience at a pain management clinic, they are incredibly mean with it). If we are concerned about something or the medication is for a life threatening condition, we can choose to buy the original to be more certain that they are not fake.

[chubby]

on naproxen, it is non-Rx in the USA, unless the dose is higher I believe, OTC it is sold under many Brand names , just another NSAID, so whatever the customer wants to pay for a OTC , like everything

are you protesting paying 100 baht ; i think the issue in thailand, is if it is not name brand, or even if it says it is, which type of medications are commonly, fake medicines ? hence i guess one might wanna not buy generics?

[colinneil]

Are medicine prices regulated, no way.

I take gabapentin, usualy provided by doctors at hospital.

Recently ran out of them, not due to go to hospital for check up.

My wife went to a local pharmacy to purchase some, they wanted 400 baht for 10, !!wow !!

Another wanted 250 baht for 10 big difference.

Also tramodol 1 wanted 70 baht, another 30 baht.

It would appear they charge whatever they want.

[Konini]

Are medicine prices regulated, no way.

I take gabapentin, usualy provided by doctors at hospital.

Recently ran out of them, not due to go to hospital for check up.

My wife went to a local pharmacy to purchase some, they wanted 400 baht for 10, !!wow !!

Another wanted 250 baht for 10 big difference.

Also tramodol 1 wanted 70 baht, another 30 baht.

It would appear they charge whatever they want.

Move up the ladder one more step from gapentin to pregabalin and you get to pay much more; almost 5,000 baht for a pack of 56, works out at close to 900 baht for 10. I was at 56 per month, I'm now at 84 per month. That would take my 'habit' up to 7,500 baht per month; some people pay less than that in rent! There is no way that the average Thai could afford this - in fact some expats might be in a bit of strife. Thankfully, I still lodge tax returns in Australia so I can take advantage of the PBS - I paid AU$37 which is about 1,000 baht per box (rather than the 5,000 baht per box here).

All pharmacies are charging exactly the same price, which is rather unusual in my experience and indicates that because of the high price, they are charging cost plus 10% or whatever percentage it is normal to add - in Australia it is standard for all pharmacies to charge cost + 5% which is why they have to sell all that other stuff in their shops. There are few other ways that everyone, everywhere in Thailand would be charging EXACTLY the same price. I know that individual governments who give their citizens subsidised medications such as UK, Australia and Canada negotiate privately with the pharmacy companies to get lower prices - in Australia the label on the box tells you the full unsubsidised price, which was brought in to try and encourage people to accept the generic rather than the expensive original. The full price is AU$70, which is about 1,850 baht. This is an awfully big difference, unless perhaps they all charge about 120% over cost, not likely in a pharmacy but I suppose not impossible.

By lodging my tax returns, I'm saving myself 84,500 baht a year now that I take 3 per day. That's a lot of money in anybody's world. I think I'll have a party on 1st January 2019, when generic pergabalin will be available.

[Sheryl]

Are medicine prices regulated, no way.

I take gabapentin, usualy provided by doctors at hospital.

Recently ran out of them, not due to go to hospital for check up.

My wife went to a local pharmacy to purchase some, they wanted 400 baht for 10, !!wow !!

Another wanted 250 baht for 10 big difference.

Also tramodol 1 wanted 70 baht, another 30 baht.

It would appear they charge whatever they want.

are you sure these were the same brands? As both of these come in multiple brands with differing prices.

I do quite a lot of purchasing of pharmaceuticals for myself, friends and neighbors. I do not find price differences for same brands to be very large from one shop to another. Enough to make comparison shopping worthwhile if buying large quantity, otherwise not.

Pharnacies in my experience pre-mark their prices and do not make them up on the spot based on the customer. However what they will sometimes do, when asked for a drug by generic name, is offer an expensive import rather than local generic to a customer they take to be affluent and vice versa to a Thai who looks poor. In reaching for the most expensive brand they are not necessarily trying to make more money off you...in fact their profit may be the same or less than on a local brand, as it is the wholesale price from manufacturer that differs dramatically. Rather, they may assume that farangs will want the imported version (ditto affluent Thais)...a status thing.

When asking for a med by generic name specify you want a less expensive thai version. And when quoted a price you think is high, ask if there is a less expensive brand.

Buying in bulk also helps. Gabapentin for example comes in boxes of 100. The thai GPO brand will cost between 740 - 800 baht depending on pharmacy.

If you are able to buy in really big quantity (are able to store a years supply in a cool place, or can combine orders with a friend) then purchasing direct from a distributor makes sense anf eliminates the pharmacy mark up altogether.

[chubby]

is there no drug coverage, on typical health care plans in Tland ?

[Anthony5]

on naproxen, it is non-Rx in the USA, unless the dose is higher I believe, OTC it is sold under many Brand names , just another NSAID, so whatever the customer wants to pay for a OTC , like everything

are you protesting paying 100 baht ; i think the issue in thailand, is if it is not name brand, or even if it says it is, which type of medications are commonly, fake medicines ? hence i guess one might wanna not buy generics?

We are talking about 110 Baht at one pharmacy and 250 Baht at the next one for the same Naproxen from Roche.

Can't be confusion with the price per box because they come in a box of 10 strips.

[Sheryl]

is there no drug coverage, on typical health care plans in Tland ?

the universal health care coverage enjoyed by Thai citizens entitles them to free drugs at hospitals (with some exceptions). Private health insurance policies will cover medications from hospitals for inpatients (inc. Take home meds) and if the opd option is taken, then also meds disoensed by hospitals to outpts. However opd option increases premiums so much that rarely worth it.

I don't know of anything that covers medications bought at an outside pharmacy.

[Farma]

I'm privy to purchasing wholesale and retail prices charged by pharmacies and agree with Sheryl's posts #4 and #9

Wholesale prices vary greatly between wholesalers. Smaller pharmacies don't just rely on one wholesaler. They too have to shop around and often source stock from a variety of wholesalers or manufacturers sales reps based on the price. You'll also find some pharmacies operate as wholesalers as well as retailers.

Pharmacies are a business so the markup has to cover costs plus provide a profit. I've found prices in tourist areas tend to be higher than pharmacies serving the non tourist trade although i've seen examples of high profit margins in non tourist pharmacies with little or no competition. The higher prices in tourist areas are sometimes due to higher rent and staff wages.

[Anthony5]

I'm privy to purchasing wholesale and retail prices charged by pharmacies and agree with Sheryl's posts #4 and #9

Wholesale prices vary greatly between wholesalers. Smaller pharmacies don't just rely on one wholesaler. They too have to shop around and often source stock from a variety of wholesalers or manufacturers sales reps based on the price. You'll also find some pharmacies operate as wholesalers as well as retailers.

Pharmacies are a business so the markup has to cover costs plus provide a profit. I've found prices in tourist areas tend to be higher than pharmacies serving the non tourist trade although i've seen examples of high profit margins in non tourist pharmacies with little or no competition. The higher prices in tourist areas are sometimes due to higher rent and staff wages.

I don't consider the pharmacy that wanted 250 Baht a small one, it's called Pattaya Inter, and both pharmacies are located each at one side of the Entrance to Bangkok Pattaya hospital.

[Sheryl]

Ah well...with that location, all bets are off and not indicative of Thai pharmacies in general.

I would not go near any pharmacy located near BPH. Try Fascinos or better yet pharmacies near Chonburi Provincial Hospital for normal local prices.