DEAR DR. GOTT: I have a cardiac condition, hypertension and gout, for which I take, among others, Simvastatin and Lisinopril. The last time I picked up my order, I was surprised to see that the familiar Lisinopril packaging was also duplicated for the Simvastatin packaging. My guess is they are manufactured by the same company but, as a senior citizen, I find it rather confusing when it comes time to take my pills. Is it cheaper to use these blister packs or is there another reason I haven’t been able to determine for the similarity?

DEAR READER: While you may have made a guess on this, it was a good one. My initial thought is that it might be cheaper to package one or both products in bottles of 100 and have a pharmacist dispense the appropriate amount, depending on the desired dosage. [Read more...]