SAVE THE BUS FARE, GRANDMA:

Study: U.S. Generic Drugs Cost Less Than Canadian Drugs (Linda Bren, July-August 2004, FDA Consumer magazine)

If you think all drugs from Canada are cheaper than U.S. drugs, think again. In the United States, generic drugs--roughly half of all prescriptions--are often cheaper than both Canadian brand-name drugs and Canadian generic drugs, according to a study by the Food and Drug Administration.

FDA analysts looked at the seven biggest-selling generic prescription drugs for chronic conditions that became available as generics in the United States since 1993:

* alprazolam (generic for Xanax) for anxiety and panic disorders
* clonazepam (generic for Klonopin) for seizure and panic disorders
* enalapril (generic for Vasotec) for high blood pressure
* fluoxetine (generic for Prozac) for depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, and bulimia nervosa
* lisinopril (generic for Zestril and Prinivil) for high blood pressure and heart failure
* metformin (generic for Glucophage) for type 2 diabetes
* metoprolol (generic for Lopressor) for high blood pressure, angina, and heart failure.

For six of the seven drugs, the U.S. generics were priced lower than the brand-name versions in Canada . Five of the seven U.S. generic drugs were also cheaper than the Canadian generics. Of the remaining two U.S. generic drugs, one (enalapril) was unavailable in Canada generically, and its Canadian brand-name version was more than five times the price of the U.S. generic equivalent. The other U.S. generic (metformin) sold for less in Canada both as a generic and as a brand name. Metformin did not become available generically in the United States until January 2002, so U.S. generic prices have likely not fallen to the level they will eventually reach, say the FDA Office of Planning economists who did the study.

Wait a second, isn't Big Pharma evil?

Posted by Orrin Judd at July 22, 2004 7:53 AM