This is a great write up. Thank you for the breakdown.
For those of us who got into this industry with the intention of helping folks get the medicine we know can help them, this may be discouraging. As a business you need to have proper margins in order to stay afloat, pay your employees, and grow. If you go under you can no longer help.
A solution to this dilemma is a special program dedicated to patients. This usually involves steep discounts, high potency products, low margins, and possibly even custom formulations. Sometimes there can be a submission process to these programs but other times the company operates off the honor system. This allows companies to uphold their values and get the product in the hands of people who need it the most while still making proper profits off their regular retail.
This approach is very beneficial especially on the custom formulation end as often these patients have specific needs or allergies that need to be addressed. Nothing makes my team happier than putting together a special order for a sick kid.
As @iLLnyeTheShatterGuy said:
Here is an example of such a program (I am not affiliated with this company).