“Seconal, the medication most preferred by physicians and patients for assisted suicide, costs $3,400 per dosing, said a North County pharmacist who sells the drug for end-of-life cases. She identified herself only as Angela and asked that her pharmacy’s name not be published for fear of backlash from some business partners.

In March 2016, less than three months before California’s law took effect, Valeant Pharmaceuticals increased the price of Seconal from $1,500 to its current rate. Although the company released a statement that said linking the new law and its price hike ‘defies common sense,’ it has faced significant criticism for the move.

The medical community subsequently developed a less-expensive compound for assisted suicide that sells for about $600, but in some patients, that formulation may take a day or more to achieve full effect. Seconal usually acts much more quickly, doctors said.”

July 2, 2017