You see when a drug company comes out with a brand name drug they have a patent on it. This means they have a specified number of years whereby they have exclusive rights to sell that drug. During that time, no other company can manufacturer and profit from that drug’s sale. After the patent runs out, however, anyone can manufacture and market the drug.
A disturbing trend amongst the drug world is to take a drug that is running out of patent life, change its chemical structure slightly and release it to the market as a completely new drug. Voila! Instead of starting from the drawing board and inventing a completely new drug, the drug company has merely taken an old standby, tweaked it a bit, and re-released it to the market as a new and exciting drug.
One of the most recent examples of this is the release of the new drug Kapidex® The generic name for this drug is dexlansoprazole. It is marketed for the treatment of gastroesophogeal reflux disease (GERD). If you notice the generic name of this drug is very similar to the generic lansoprazole which is sold as the brand name Prevacid® which may be going off of patent within the year. This is because they are basically the same drug, with one small chemical difference.
The manufacturer may claim that Kapidex’s altered chemical structure provides longer relief, however, most studies have shown that all drugs in this class have similar outcomes. Although the generic lansoprazole won’t be available for up to a year, there are other generic drugs in this class that have been shown to be just as effective, like omeprazole. Kapidex® can cost upwards of $150/month compared to $15 for omeprazole.
Drugs for GERD are not the only medications affected by this trend. The trend is also being seen amongst drugs for cholesterol and depression. In these tough times, every little bit we can save helps. There is usually no need to buy the more expensive brand name medications when generic drugs have been shown to be equally effective. Even if there is no generic drug for your brand name medication available, there is likely a generic drug in the same class that is just as effective. Talk to your pharmacist to see if you can benefit from switching any of your brand name medications to generic.
