News April
Brand-Name Drug Companies Creating Hurdles To Prevent Medicare Beneficiaries
Health plans and consumers could save $26.4 billion over the next
five years by using generic versions of 14 popular drugs that are
scheduled to lose their patent protections before 2010, according
to a study released on Tuesday by the Pharmaceutical Care Management
Association, Knight-Ridder/Wichita Eagle reports (Pugh, Knight-Ridder/Wichita
Eagle, 4/18).
PCMA is an association representing pharmacy benefit managers that
administer plans for private and government programs. For the study,
researchers identified 14 popular drugs used by seniors that are
scheduled to lose patent protection before 2010 (Kaufman, Washington
Post, 4/19). Generic versions of those drugs could save Medicare
$23.3 billion over the next five years, the study finds (Knight-Ridder/Wichita
Eagle, 4/18). Depression medication Zoloft, prostatitis medication
Proscar, and statins Zocor and Pravachol are expected to lose patent
protection in 2006, and PCMA estimated that generic versions of
those four drugs alone could save
Medicare $13 billion if they reach the market as scheduled.
Source
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=41949&nfid=rssfeeds
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