231. Should vets be allowed to make a mark up on drugs?

At the beginning of Spices treatment for her bone infection i was informed by the vet that she would need to be on antibiotics for at least 6-8 weeks and that per day the antibiotics would cost at least £10.00-£20.00's. This being the case the overall treatment cost would be between £560.00 - 1020.00's plus any additional check ups needed and X rays. Having already been billed £600's for previous veterinary treatment for the same problem the prospect of having to spend an additional £1000's was rather worrying to say the least...

What i found shocking about this initial visit was that at no time did the vet inform me that the antibiotics could be prescribed and purchased for a third of the cost.

Fortunately, although i had no insurance i knew i could afford to go ahead with the treatment either with or without a prescription but i wondered how many other owners had perhaps faced the same scenario and felt they had no option but to end their horses life due to lack of finances. Would a vet actually let this happen? or would they make the owner aware of the options?

If purchased from a vet the antibiotics Spice is currently on cost £30.00's a bottle but if prescribed and purchased on the internet they cost less than £10.00's meaning vets are making a mark up of 200%!

My question is...Is it morally and ethically correct to withhold information which may affect ones decision to either continue treating their horse or cease treating their horse given that the consequences could mean life or death?