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Generic Drug Savings
- Jennifer S. Haas, MD, MSPH;
- Kathryn A. Phillips, PhD; and
- Andrew C. Seger, PharmD
The Editors welcome submissions for possible publication in the Letters section. Authors of letters should:
•Include no more than 300 words of text, three authors, and five references
•Type with double-spacing
•Send three copies of the letter, an authors' form signed by all authors, and a cover letter describing any conflicts of interest related to the contents of the letter.
Letters commenting on an Annals article will be considered if they are received within 6 weeks of the time the article was published. Only some of the letters received can be published. Published letters are edited and may be shortened; tables and figures are included only selectively. Authors will be notified that the letter has been received. If the letter is selected for publication, the author will be notified about 3 weeks before the publication date. Unpublished letters cannot be returned.
Annals welcomes electronically submitted letters.
IN RESPONSE:
Drs. Laroche and Merle raise several issues about the potential risks of switching to a generic formulation. We agree that a generic drug may have different inactive ingredients, such as coloring agents, than the branded product. Uncommonly, an inactive ingredient may cause an allergic reaction. This is true for brand-name drugs as well as generics. In reviewing the literature, we found only a handful of case reports about allergic reactions to inactive ingredients, most commonly coloring agents.
In the United States, generic formulations are examined and approved by the Food and Drug Administration as being bioequivalent to a brand-name drug in safety, strength, and quality (1, 2). We cannot speak to the generalizability of our findings to other countries, which likely have different use patterns of brand-name and generic products. We agree that errors in drug dispensing are common and costly (3), but we know of no literature that suggests that they are more commonly associated with generic products. We believe that health care professionals, including physicians and pharmacists, should monitor patients with chronic conditions and inform all patients about generic substitution to avoid overuse and interruptions in treatment. We do not believe that these issues would substantially change the potential savings in drug expenditures associated with widespread generic substitution in the United States.
Jennifer S. Haas, MD, MSPH
Kathryn A. Phillips, PhD
Andrew C. Seger, PharmD
Brigham and Women's Hospital; Boston, MA 02120
The Editors welcome submissions for possible publication in the Letters section. Authors of letters should:
•Include no more than 300 words of text, three authors, and five references
•Type with double-spacing
•Send three copies of the letter, an authors' form signed by all authors, and a cover letter describing any conflicts of interest related to the contents of the letter.
Letters commenting on an Annals article will be considered if they are received within 6 weeks of the time the article was published. Only some of the letters received can be published. Published letters are edited and may be shortened; tables and figures are included only selectively. Authors will be notified that the letter has been received. If the letter is selected for publication, the author will be notified about 3 weeks before the publication date. Unpublished letters cannot be returned.
Annals welcomes electronically submitted letters.
Article and Author Information
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Potential Financial Conflicts of Interest: None disclosed.
