Brand-name versus generic drug costs

Generics/General | Posted 08/04/2011 post-comment

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The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, an American healthcare insurance company, has collected data on the top 25 brand-name drugs with available generic counterparts.

The data shows that the substantial savings can be made by switching from brand-name to generic medicines, and the biggest advantage of using a generic alternative is price. The Savings of as much as 90% over the cost of brand-name medications can be made when considering a 30-day supply. Generics on average cost 40–60% less than their brand-named counterparts.

Brand name	Generic name	Treatment	Brand costs*	Generic costs*	Savings
					$	%
Accolate	Zafirlukast	Asthma	$118.7	$80.51	$38.19	32.17
Accureti	Quinapril/ Hydrochlorothiazide	Hypertension	$42.64	$25.68	$16.96	39.77
Ambien	Zolpidem Tartrate	Insomnia	$159.10	$3.00	$156.10	98.11
Amerge	Naratriptan	Migraine	$1,042.00	$505.50	$536.50	51.49
Aricept	Donepezil	Alzheimer's	$254.34	$188.19	$66.15	26.00
Arimidex	Anastrozole	Breast cancer	$449.86	$24.00	$425.86	94.67
Cardizem	Diltiazem	Hypertension/ Angina	$102.13	$25.15	$76.99	76.38
Coumadin	Warfarin	Anticoagulent	$34.77	$5.10	$29.67	85.33
Dilantin	Phenytoin	Epilepsy	$57.29	$30.50	$26.78	46.74
Effexor	Venlafaxine	Antidepressant	$156.10	$109.50	$46.60	29.85
Fiorinal with Codeine	Codeine/ Butalbital/ Asprin/ Caffeine	Migraine	$214.52	$113.30	$101.22	47.18
Flomax	Tamsulosin	Enlarged prostate	$134.54	$45.00	$89.54	66.55
Gengraf	Cyclosporine	Organ rejection/ rheumatoid arthritis/ psoriasis	$129.57	$92.70	$36.87	28.46
Glucophage	Metformin	Type 2 diabetes	$94.04	$11.70	$82.34	87.56
Hyzaar	Losartan / Hydrochlorothiazide	Hypertension	$117.19	$67.50	$49.69	42.40
Methylin	Methylphenidate	ADHD	$38.19	$10.80	$27.39	71.72
Paceron	Amiodarone	Antiarrhythmic	$107.25	$6.00	$101.25	94.41
Procardia XL	Nifedipine	Hypertension	$48.69	$18.00	$30.69	63.03
Prograf	Tacrolimus	Organ transplant immunosuppresant	$571.36	$436.14	$135.22	23.67
Prozac	Fluoxetine	Antidepressant	$136.52	$3.00	$133.52	97.80
Tarka	Trandolapril/ Verapamil	Hypertension	$115.23	$70.20	$45.03	39.08
Valium	Diazepam	Sedative (anti-anxiety)	$157.76	$1.82	$155.94	98.85
Wellbutrin Xl	Bupropion	Antidepressant	$210.90	$33.00	$177.90	84.35
Xyzal	Levocetirizine	Antihistamine	$119.05	$69.00	$50.05	42.04
Zegerid	Omeprazole / Sodium Bicarbonate	Antacid	$217.71	$145.20	$72.51	33.31