Generics
FDA approval for generic antibiotic and arrhythmia drugs
Indian generics maker Glenmark Pharmaceuticals (Glenmark) has gained approval for a generic antibiotic, linezolid, and tentative approval for its generic arrhythmia drug dronedarone.
Paediatric use of low-cost generic programs in the US
Low-cost generic drug programs (LCGPs) in the US increase the affordability of prescription medication that can treat many common paediatric conditions. LCGPs are a loss-leader pricing strategy used by eight of the top 10 pharmacy chains, e.g. Walmart, Walgreens, RiteAid, providing generics at co-payments of US$4‒5 for 30-day supplies or US$10‒12 for 90-day supplies. By using these programmes, no information is submitted through an individual’s prescription medication insurance benefit; thus, medication use data can be missing from administrative claims data. This phenomenon has implications for safety surveillance, quality measurement of health plans, and for researchers utilizing these data.
Roche and India's Glenmark reach truce over generic Tarceva
The Swiss pharmaceutical company F. Hoffmann-La-Roche AG (Roche) has reached an out-of-court settlement with Indian generics company Glenmark Pharmaceuticals (Glenmark) over its patent for its lung cancer drug Tarceva (erlotinib hydrochloride).
Physicians’ and pharmacists’ perspectives on generics use
The review study of Toverud et al. shows that both physicians and pharmacists have acknowledged strategies for generics use as an attempt to curtail increasing drug expenditures [1]. However, in Northern Europe and in the US health professionals were confident about the generics available, whereas in countries with less mature healthcare systems there were concerns about the manufacturing sources of generics and the companies’ trustworthiness. A general marked variation was also found regarding control routines and bioequivalence requirements between countries with mature healthcare systems and those with developing ones.
Doctors in the US should remember to prescribe generics
According to the findings of a literature review carried out by the American College of Physicians (ACP) the major obstacle to increased use of generics in the US is patient and provider perceptions.
Use of generics in cardiovascular diseases
Researchers from Italy and the US carried out a meta-analysis with the aim of comparing the efficacy and adverse events, either serious or mild/moderate, of all generic versus brand-name cardiovascular medicines [1].
Cipla, Glenmark, Sun Pharma bidding for Teva–Allergan generics in the US
Indian generics makers Cipla, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals (Glenmark) and Sun Pharmaceutical Industries (Sun Pharma) are reportedly bidding for a portfolio of US generics from Teva Pharmaceutical Industries (Teva).
Pharmaceutical pricing and reimbursement policies
A recurrent challenge in health policy is to ensure equitable access to safe and effective medicines. In recent years, access to medicines, in particular to high-cost medicines, has become a major challenge for payers in all countries including high-income economies. Factors that challenge the financial sustainability of publicly funded health and pharmaceutical systems include demographic and epidemiological developments, a tightening of public health budgets due to overall economic pressures, e.g. the global financial crisis, and the need of public payers to consider covering new medicines, some of which come with premium prices [1].
Policies to lower prices of generics in Austria and Finland
In this era of austerity many governments have introduced policies aimed at reducing the price of generics. In Austria, measures taken to reduce the cost of medicines include generic price linkage. While in Finland generics substitution and reference pricing have been introduced.
Prescribing and dispensing generics in Japan
Drug costs in Japan have been found to be much greater than the average of industrialized nations, which means that too many wasteful prescriptions are written for pharmaceuticals. This has been attributed to attempts by medical institutions to increase revenues by prescribing unnecessary medicines to patients. To curb this trend, the government has pushed forward with the lowering of government-set prices for prescription drugs and the separation of medical and dispensary services in its national health programme, which was implemented in 1974.
