American Woman Visits Drugstore in UK—Can't Believe Price of Certain Items

A video of a woman has gone viral showing her astonishment at the "cheap" prices of two common medicines in the U.K, compared with the prices of their equivalents in the U.S.

The clip was shared by @ukshineon, who is from North America, according to her Instagram profile, and has amassed 733,000 views since it was shared on March 12.

The woman says in the video: "You know you are in the U.K. when you go to Boots … which is like Walgreens, for my people on the other side of the pond." She then tells viewers to take note of the price in Boots of paracetamol and ibuprofen, two drugs branded as Tylenol and Advil, respectively, in the U.S.

The camera later shows boxes of paracetamol on a shelf at Boots that each cost 49 pence, while a packet of ibuprofen is priced at 55 pence (about 70 cents), as the woman says "What? … so dang cheap."

In 2022, prices across all drugs in the U.S, both branded and generic ones, were found to be nearly three times as high as prices in other countries within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), according to a January 2024 report by the U.S. government's Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE).

The report noted that "most new drugs were available first in the U.S. before being launched in other countries" and "the U.S. spends a higher and growing share of total drug spending on new drugs compared to other countries."

Another report, by Grandview Research, a San Francisco market research firm, says the U.S. pharmaceutical market is projected to grow from $634 billion in 2024 to nearly £884 billion by 2030.

"This growth can be attributed to the rising prevalence of chronic diseases, increasing geriatric population, growing health care expenditure by government organizations, and extensive efforts to improve the affordability and accessibility of pharmaceuticals," the report said.

'This Is Wonderful'

The viral post sparked discussion among viewers on Instagram, such as user are_we_even_running_mummy_ who said: "Welcome to the civilized world where health care is affordable and a universal right, not designed to bankrupt you or hook you on hard drugs."

User grumpysmutster wrote: "I love that basic medication is affordable to anyone in our country."

User jo_hens.8 said: "this is wonderful, yes, and that's expensive in Europe."

User therachelgarden noted that the medicines are "cheap because they're not branded."

User stellalartoise agreed, explaining: "The price difference is because Tylenol and Advil are brand names. You'll find the same in the UK for Neurofen, and other brands are much more expensive for the same as unbranded meds."

User jurisdog asked: "How many do you get for 50p? That's crucial to understand how cheap this [is]. I used to get a bottle of 500 Ibuprofen and it would last for a couple years."

Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via Instagram. This video has not been independently verified.

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