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Prescription drugs in America are notoriously expensive and have been for over a decade. This problem has formed specifically in America because pharmaceutical companies are able to acquire patents for life-saving drugs. This
allows them to raise the price of these medications far above what they cost to manufacture, meaning that residents of the United States are forced to go through insurance companies to get their medicine.

Because of this system, lower to middle class citizens who don’t have insurance coverage have been financially crippled in the process of getting medicine. Generally, little to nothing has been done to improve this system that has impoverished many Americans.

“I think the prices are unreasonable,” freshman Jovie Whitworth said. “People are just trying to get better, they shouldn’t have to pay so much for a bottle of pills.”

In a surprising turn of events however, billionaire Mark Cuban along with radiologist Alexander Oshmyansky launched a website at the beginning of 2022 called CostPlusDrugs. This site allows millions of people to order generic prescription medicine online for a fair price, only being a 15 percent markup from manufacturing cost, and two additional five dollar fees, one being for shipping, and the other a pharmacy service fee. Their factory is located in Dallas, and they have over 100 different drugs to choose from.

Without the price hike that comes with the name brand drugs, these medications can be hundreds of dollars cheaper. It is not an understatement that CostPlusDrugs will save lives, especially those who don’t have insurance that covers all of their needs.

“I agree that other [pharmaceutical] companies should do the same,” Whitworth said. “People already have too many types of insurance to pay for.”