A U.S. study has determined generic versions of a class of medicines called "biologics" would not be significantly cheaper than brand-name drugs.
Biologics are drugs, vaccines and other medicines produced by living cells in controlled circumstances, but there is no established process for the review and approval of generic versions of biologic products, such as insulin.
"Congress and the (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) are currently addressing this issue and developing a process for the oversight of generic biologics, partially in hopes of generating significant cost savings for consumers and insurers," said Duke University Professor Kevin Schulman. "However, our research indicates that any savings to be expected from the addition of generic biologics to the marketplace will be significantly less than the savings generally available from generic pharmaceuticals."
The study, which also included Professors David Ridley and Henry Grabowski as authors, is to be published in the journal Managerial and Decision Economics.
Copyright 2007 by United Press International
Related stories:
Even more people should benefit from statins, say Oxford researchers
Cholesterol-lowering ‘statin’ drugs would be cost-effective if given to far more people than current guidelines recommend, say Oxford researchers in a study published online by the
British Medical Journal.
Impeding U.S. generic drug use criticized
Moves by branded drug companies to slow the spread of U.S. generic drugs has been criticized by a pharmacy benefit managers' organization.
Free drug samples may end up costing uninsured more
Free drug samples provided to physicians by pharmaceutical companies could actually be costing uninsured patients more in the long run, according to a study done by researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and colleagues.
Watch out for drug names that look, sound alike
(AP) -- Take the generic drug clonidine for high blood pressure? Double-check that you didn't leave the drugstore with Klonopin for seizures, or the gout medicine colchicine.
Sex differences seen in response to common antidepressant
Women with depression may be much more likely than men to get relief from a commonly used, inexpensive antidepressant drug, a new national study finds. But many members of both sexes may find that it helps ease their depression symptoms.
TiVo shows another profit, but outlook weak
(AP) -- TiVo Inc. posted a quarterly profit for only the third time in its 11-year history Wednesday as the pioneer in digital video recorders boosted margins on hardware and reduced marketing costs in its fiscal second quarter.
Potential diabetes treatment selectively kills autoimmune cells from human patients
In experiments using blood cells from human patients with diabetes and other autoimmune disorders, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers have confirmed the mechanism behind a potential new therapy for type 1 diabetes. A team led by Denise Faustman, MD, PhD, director of the MGH Immunobiology Laboratory, showed that blocking a metabolic pathway regulating the immune system specifically eliminated immune cells that react against a patient's own tissues.
Intel CTO Says Gap between Humans, Machines will Close by 2050
Intel Corporation's chief technology officer took a fascinating look at how technology will bring man and machine much closer together by 2050.