generics

Mylan, the maker of EpiPen, says it will sell a generic version for $300 for a two-pack, a price that consumer advocates say is still too high. The device is used to treat severe allergic reactions.

Health & Safety

Maker Of EpiPen To Sell Generic Version For Half The Price

5:21pm August 29, 2016

by Alison Kodjak

Mylan's move comes amid pressure from consumers and Congress to lower the allergy drug's price. In less than 10 years, the price has risen from about $100 to more than $600 for an injector two-pack.

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In 2015, the Sandoz unit of drugmaker Novartis won Food and Drug Administration approval of a drug called Zarxio, which is similar to Amgen's Neupogen, a medicine that boosts the production of white blood cells.

FDA-Approved Knock-Offs Of Biotech Drugs Could Safely Save Big Bucks

5:01pm August 01, 2016

by Alison Kodjak

Drugs that consist of proteins and antibodies typically made by living organisms represent the new frontier in drug industry competition.

When your health insurer reclassifies a prescription drug you take from tier 1 to tier 2, it can sharply increase the portion of the drug's cost that you're expected to pay.

Insurers May Share Blame For Increased Price Of Some Generic Drugs

6:31pm July 26, 2016

by Michelle Andrews

Consumers often blame drug companies for the rapidly rising costs of some commonly used generic drugs. But changes made by insurers influence the price of these drugs, too, it turns out.

Drug-Company Payments Mirror Doctors' Brand-Name Prescribing

9:51am March 17, 2016

An analysis of Medicare data shows that the more money a doctor gets from pharmaceutical companies, the more likely he or she is to prescribe brand-name medications. And that influences cost.

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Health & Safety

Cancer And Arthritis Drugs Drive Up Spending On Medicines

8:01pm March 14, 2016

by Alison Kodjak

Patients switching to generic medicines and hard bargaining with drugmakers helped moderate spending on prescription drugs in 2015, according to Express Scripts, a manager of drug benefits.

Health & Safety

Brand-Name Drugs Can Raise Costs Without Boosting Patient Satisfaction

2:15pm November 19, 2015

by Charles Ornstein

The website Iodine has collected data about consumers' experience with prescription drugs that show generics scored highest among people who take medicines in three popular categories.

Acids, alcohol and pancreatic tissue were separated, bathed and mixed in this laboratory of a 1946 insulin factory in Bielefeld, Germany.

Why Is Insulin So Expensive In The U.S.?

7:57pm April 01, 2015

by Anders Kelto

The hormone that controls blood sugar among diabetics is one of the oldest medicines used today. But more than 90 years after its discovery, a low-cost version is no longer available in the U.S.

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