Ms. Williams went to her doctor because her daughter had an itchy bottom. She was informed this was a classic sign of pinworm infection and was given a prescription for pinworm medicine. She thought nothing of it until she reached the pharmacy counter.
What she discovered was that a four-tablet treatment cost $724. The out of pocket cost? $250 a person for her family of four.
PRESCRIPTION PINWORM MEDICINE COSTS WHAT?
Unfortunately, Ms. Williams experience is not an isolated incident.
When the University of Minnesota Medical School ran two studies between 2010 and 2018 they found that a standard of care drug to treat pinworm rose from $14.81 to $130.
In addition to the rising price, an additional cost ends up on patient’s doorsteps.
“Our study shows that dramatic drug price increases lead to much higher outpatient costs and decrease appropriate drug treatment due to access issues,” said co-first author of the study, William Stauffer, MD, MSPH, FASTMH, who is a professor of medicine at the U of M Medical School.
ARE THERE ALTERNATIVES TO EXPENSIVE PRESCRIPTIONS?
To save money, Ms. Williams turned to more affordable over-the-counter pinworm medication to treat the remainder of her family.
Having an alternative available saved Ms. Williams and her family hundreds of dollars. If you’re in a similar situation, you can find Reese’s Pinworm Medicine near you by using our store locator!