Generic medicine prices in Puerto Rico shoot up
Owing to US increasing fees and regulations on shipments to the region
Prices of generic pharmaceuticals in Puerto Rico have risen dramatically in recent months, largely due to decreased shipments from the US.
Benigno Dominquez, a purchasing director for Puerto Rico Pharmaceutical, said the US has increased the fees and regulations on shipments of generic medicine to Puerto Rico.
'If I want to bring a container from China, it costs me less than bringing a container from Miami,' he said.
Another factor has been an increase in the prices of raw materials used in medicine, Dominguez said.
He added that some Puerto Rico patients are now turning to alternative treatment methods, because they can no longer afford the generic medicines that they have been prescribed.
'A lotion that, just a few years back, was around US$52, right now is around $100,' he said.
Pharmaceutical manufacturing is one of Puerto Rico’s largest exports, but the country relies heavily on imported medicines for its own citizens.
