Russians revealed the clandestine method for reducing pressure relief expenses
In the face of rising healthcare costs, finding affordable treatment options for chronic conditions like hypertension is crucial. Valentina Milovanova, the Director of Marketing at "Ozon Pharmacy", offers some practical advice for managing the financial burden of hypertension therapy in Russia.
Hypertension, one of the most common cardiovascular diseases in the country, requires ongoing medication and treatment. On average, patients spend between 500 to 5000 rubles per month on hypertension therapy, depending on the stage of the disease, treatment scheme, and chosen medications.
Milovanova suggests several strategies to make hypertension treatment more affordable:
1. **Choose generic drugs**: Generic medications, such as Bisoprolol, Indapamide, Amlodipine, and Enalapril, are widely preferred in Russia for their lower cost compared to brand-name medications. For instance, while Enalapril, a generic drug, costs around 30 rubles, renitec, the brand-name equivalent, can cost up to 500 rubles.
2. **Consider larger packaging options**: Buying medications in bulk or larger packages can reduce the cost per dose, making treatment more affordable over time. In some cases, buying larger packages can result in savings of 10-20%.
3. **Use pharmacy aggregator websites and apps**: These platforms collect prices from multiple pharmacies, allowing you to quickly find the lowest-priced option for the generic drug you need. This digital comparison helps avoid overpaying at individual pharmacies.
4. **Ask your doctor or pharmacist for generic alternatives**: While not all doctors may always know about available generics, pharmacists can advise on substitutable generics to save costs without compromising efficacy.
Moreover, Milovanova advises using combination drugs, which contain multiple active substances in one tablet, such as perindopril + amlodipine. These drugs can be more convenient and often cheaper than buying components separately.
It's also worth noting that some medications may not yet have full analogs, but the situation is changing. Inquiring about льготные programs at one's clinic may provide cost savings as well.
By leveraging the highly competitive and generic-friendly Russian pharmaceutical market, where around half of the generic drug sales are concentrated among a few top generics, these strategies can substantially reduce the cost burden of hypertension treatment in Russia.
- Science has played a crucial role in developing affordable treatments for chronic conditions like hypertension, with generic drugs like Bisoprolol, Indapamide, Amlodipine, and Enalapril being preferred for their lower costs compared to brand-name medications.
- In the realm of health-and-wellness, it's prudent to consider larger packaging options for medications, as buying in bulk or larger packages can reduce the cost per dose, making treatment more affordable over time.
- Therapies-and-treatments for hypertension can also be made more affordable by using pharmacy aggregator websites and apps, which collect prices from multiple pharmacies, allowing individuals to quickly find the lowest-priced option for the generic drug they need, thereby avoiding overpaying at individual pharmacies.
