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Gov't Pushes Generic Drugs, But At What Cost To Health?(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(PERSPECTIVE)
Byline: BETSY MCCAUGHEY
Insurance companies have spun a medical myth that generic drugs save money and are as good as brand-name drugs. Congress and lawmakers in many states are falling for it.
As Congress ponders adding a prescription drug benefit to Medicare, nearly all the proposals make seniors pay higher co-payments for brand-name medications than generics, and even higher ones if the drug is advertised on television.
Similarly, state legislatures are keeping low-income people on Medicaid from getting virtually anything but generics.
This push for generic drugs is a mistake. Relying on generics could lower your chance of recovery, force you to stay longer in the hospital and increase your risk of side effects. Relying on generics also will push the nation's health spending higher. It will not save money.
Unfortunately, most lawmakers don't know the facts about generics.
Here they are:
- Are the Generic Drugs in Your Life Equivalent to Their Brand-Name Counterparts?...
- Press release article from: PR Newswire November 5, 2002 700+ words
...drugs. But are all generic drugs equivalent to their...Administration (FDA) rates all generic drugs A or B. A-rated...generics, are generally older drugs that may also be equivalent...even FDA-approved generic drugs are inferior, there...
- Generic drugs: what you need to know.
- Magazine article from: FDA Consumer September 1, 2002 700+ words
...in the United States are filled with generic drugs. New drugs are developed by innovator...first generic version challenger. Generic drugs are safe, effective and FDA-approved...director of the FDA's Office of Generic Drugs, "People can use them with total...
- Generic drugs add up to big savings, experts say.
- Newspaper article from: Tulsa World (Tulsa, OK) November 25, 2006 700+ words
...according to the Generic Pharmaceutical Association. Generic drugs undergo a rigorous review process by the U...consulting with a physician before switching to generic drugs. Generic drugs represent a segment of the health-care industry...
- Japan's FTC recommends promotion of generic pharmaceuticals to MHLW.(physicians...
- Newspaper article from: Pharma Marketletter October 23, 2006 700+ words
...Welfare to further the promote use of generic drugs and their manufacturers to establish...in a recent report on the facts of generic drugs distribution. The FTC compiled the...Commission recommends the further use of generic drugs because the market share for these...
- Myths and facts of generic drugs.
- Magazine article from: FDA Consumer September 1, 1987 700+ words
Myths and Facts of Generic Drugs "Generic drugs' is the term for prescription drugs that are the same...competition enters the picture when a patent expires, generic drugs usually sell for less than the brand-name product from...
- Ensuring the safety of generic drugs. (column)
- Magazine article from: FDA Consumer Young, Frank E. December 1, 1989 700+ words
...in the United States each year. The generic drugs saga that unfolded over the summer...describe what's happened with respect to generic drugs, and what FDA has done to respond...who work in the office that reviews generic drugs. I'm not trying to diminish the...
- Generic Drugs Market In Brazil Report 2007 2011 Examines The Chief Reasons Why...
- Press release article from: M2 Presswire December 18, 2007 700+ words
...December 2007-Research and Markets: Generic Drugs Market In Brazil Report 2007 2011 Examines...c77757) has announced the addition of "Generic Drugs Market in Brazil (2007-2011...of the world economy, including the generic drugs industry. Identifying the importance...
- What's in a name?: Generic drugs have same benefits, risks as brand names.
- Newspaper article from: Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service July 21, 2003 700+ words
...to the Congressional Budget Office, generic drugs save consumers an estimated $8 billion...year at retail pharmacies. Although generic drugs are cheaper than brand-name drugs...answers to some common questions about generic drugs: Q: What are generic drugs? A...
