Drugmakers Criticized for Pricing 'Shenanigans'

The drug company strategy of packaging two inexpensive products together and selling them at a huge markup has a new twist. Duexis, a combination of ibuprofen and stomach protectant famotidine, now comes with an package insert that says: “Do not substitute Duexis with the single-ingredient products of ibuprofen and famotidine.” The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the labeling change this month. Brian Williams, a clinical research fellow at myMatrixx, called the labeling change “absurd.” “Until I see the data that supports a clear superiority of the c...