The Chronicle

Issue date: 3/28/07 Section: News
Last update: 3/28/07 at 5:38 AM EST

Devdutta Sangvai

Female students picking up birth control medication at the Duke Student Health Center may now be faced with an unpleasant surprise-dramatically increased costs.

Due to recently implemented legislation, the prices of prescriptions, including oral contraceptives and the Plan B pill, have seen sudden hikes at college health centers across the nation.

Students have been faced with prices as high as $48.62 per pack-and cost increases of as much as $28 at Duke-for oral contraceptives. In February, the price of one package of over-the-counter Plan B increased to $40.

The new prices will affect the 6,000 students insured by Duke-sponsored health insurance providers.

"It appears that the change was not meant to affect schools," said Dr. Devdutta Sangvai, medical director of student health, noting that the price shift resulted from the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005.

The act decreased prices for Medicaid drugs, making drug companies hesitant to offer rebates in other areas, such as student health centers, he said.

Duke Student Health officials said they were unaware the bill would affect college clinics until they were warned a few months ago by drug companies.

Sangvai said exorbitant prices can be avoided by the purchase of generic options, when possible. In some cases, however, generic drugs cost more than the new prices of their name-brand counterparts.

"For the majority of the time, prices of generic drugs are significantly lesser [than prices for name-brand medications]," he said. "In addition, the American College Health Association national office staff and the Advocacy Committee are looking at several options and working to assess the impact of the changes."

At Duke, students were given the option to buy large quantities of their medication prior to the hike in cost.

"I just found it easier to buy in bulk.... It will basically last me for a year," said senior Julia Griffin, noting that she was confident Student Health would eventually find another solution.

The ACHA is currently performing surveys in the hopes of assessing the impact of the changes on women's health choices, as well searching for possible changes to the newly implemented legislation, said Mary Hoban, program director of the ACHA's National College Health Assessment.

In a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services, the ACHA stated concerns about the impact of higher prices.

According to the letter, the high costs of drugs, services and logistical problems will lead to "reduced testing and use of contraception and a higher rate of unintended pregnancy, undetected health problems and untreated gynecological disorders."

The letter also stated that at some colleges, the higher costs may lead to reductions in health promotions and sexual education efforts made possible by "modest revenue" remaining from the sale of contraceptives.

Sangvai, however, said health promotions at Duke are operated and funded separately from the Student Health pharmacy.

"We're reaching out and working with students to look at new options," Sangvai said. "Hopefully, the legislation or deals with drug manufacturers will spur changes."

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