NPR: 3 in 4 prescriptions are for generic drugs

NPR's Shots Blog: 3 In 4 U.S. Prescriptions Are Now For Generic Drugs
The brand-name pharmaceutical industry has a drug problem. All 10 of the most prescribed medicines in the U.S. last year were generics, led by the defending champion generic equivalents of Vicodin (hydrocodone plus acetaminophen). ... Big Pharma's losses have meant savings for consumers, insurers and employers that pay for health coverage. The average copayment fell 20 cents to $10.73 last year compared with 2009. The biggest factor in the decline was greater use of generics, which typically require the lowest copayment from consumers (Hensley, 4/20).

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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.