(Michael Brochstein/Sipa USA/Newscom)
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary recently stated that when it comes to drugs that currently require a prescription, “everything should be over the counter” unless they are unsafe or need monitoring. Here is why that’s good:
Evidence suggests prescription requirements don’t just restrict access—they also feed directly into the third-party payment system that drives drug prices upward. When a drug requires a prescription, it typically becomes eligible for insurance coverage. That shifts the transaction from a price-sensitive cash purchase to a subsidized one. Patients pay a copay, not the full price, and insurers often absorb the rest rather than provoke backlash. The predictable result is third-party inflation: When someone else pays most of the bill, prices rise.
Source: Jeffrey Singer, Reason