I agree their display is not so great (with those solid blocks). It was nice they even included the data on 25th percentile and 95th percentile to give us at least a bit of a view of the variation.

I would also like to see total size of the market for the various drugs. I happen to know 2 of those they used (that I mentioned above are huge) but on some of the others I have no idea if they are some tiny sliver or a very large drug (variation in tiny drugs is less important).

I would also like to see why drugs like OxyContin break the normal pattern so clearly – I suspect the UK may be trying to reduce the use of it (either on grounds of something like a better alternative or due to the abuse of it outside the prescribed use)? Or it could also be things like giving preference to some UK drug or something else?

Health care costs are so huge that in affect everyone in the USA pays a huge tax that just transfers money to those benefiting from the current system (medical specialists, drug companies, etc.). Other special interests have bought favors but when the sugar or some other small industry taxes the rest of us the cost is so tiny that it isn’t a big deal (still unfair and lame but not very costly). Health Care in the USA is 17.5% of GDP and rising – that is a huge tax on all of us.

Sadly, I don’t see this changing. I own both Abbvie and Gilead stocks because I see they are very likely to continue to buy both political parties very easily. At least I will partially be able to afford paying this huge yearly tax with investments that will gain profits from me and everyone else paying the tax to them.

I also see the huge market of many billions of rich people around the globe that can afford drugs growing greatly in the next 20 years and billions are also aging and will require more drugs (which will benefit drug companies a huge deal). The stocks likely would do well even if the USA changed to reduce the ludicrous transfers to the drug companies and hospitals etc. the current system perpetuates.

But likely that won’t happen so on top of good prospects, good macroeconomic conditions they will benefit from buying the 2 political parties in the USA. I wish they wouldn’t but given that it is going to continue happening (most likely) and how large that tax is on everyone if you don’t have ways to pay for that portion of the costs you have to your future finances will suffer. If the political parties were to change and stop diverting say at least 6% of GDP as excess costs the current system creates the benefits will be huge and while those 2 investments will suffer from that hit other investments will greatly benefit and costs (health insurance, health costs imbedded in everything we buy, drug costs if I ever need any prescriptions drugs…) will greatly decline.

I do think several large USA drug companies are very good investments with a huge kicker for USA investors particularly in that if health costs keep skyrocketing in the USA likely those investments will do very well (so you have gains to pay the increased costs). And if that category of stocks loses the extra profits due to buying favors from the Democrats and Republicans the expense you face will be significantly reduced. So either way you benefit. Of course, it could be you are hit by bad management at one company or bad luck (huge drugs have very big potential profit risks) or even a situation where drug companies stocks do poorly (say they get the extra “tax” they receive stripped from their profits) but the overall burden of the USA health care system doesn’t decline (the other special interests manage to protect themselves). But I think those are unlikely.