Aug 12 2013
The battle concerns state notification laws that would require pharmacists to notify doctors and patients when they substitute generic versions of drugs derived from living organisms known as biologics.
Stateline: Drug Giants Brawl Over Copycat Drugs
The year 2013 began with the promise of a state-by-state, coast-to-coast battle between the makers of brand-name medications derived from living organisms-;known as biologics-;and those who make and sell copies of those drugs. The battle has turned into a rout, at least for now. In state after state, the brand-name makers-;led by the pharmaceutical giants Amgen and Genentech-;have been unable to convince state legislatures to require pharmacists to notify doctors (and sometimes patients) when they substitute generics for brand-name biologic drugs. Manufacturers of copies fiercely opposed such a requirement, which they said would put them at a competitive disadvantage (Ollove, 8/8).
This article was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.
|