Protopic, but not pro people.

I recently got a case of contact dermatitis on the lids around my right eye. The dermatologist prescribed a medication call Protopic. Even with my new medicare plan, the cost was $25.00, which isn't much when you consider the medication—which comes in a tube slightly larger than the smallest Neosporin—costs $314.00. This leads me to all kinds of questions. First of all did the dermatologist know it cost that much, and could he have come up with something less costly? What would I have done if I didn't have Medica or $25.00? Why do I need a 30g size when I will probably only require a few dabs over a few days? But the big question is: Why does it cost so much? Does Astellas Pharma in Northbrook, Il. really need to charge that much for this tube of goop, or is just more greed run rampant? I have noticed that eye care is a major rip-off category. I have to take drops every day for glaucoma as do millions of aging people. But I have a good medical plan. Some senior citizens don't have any. Despite that they need that tiny and costly little bottle of drops every single day of every month to prevent blindness. And the greedy pharmaceuticals, like any other drug dealers, are right there with their incredibly high priced products. They can't say the cost is high because of low demand because millions use their medicine. And I doubt if years of costly research went into developing a treatment for glaucoma. So it's greed, pure and simple.