Generic drugs could save billions for consumers

• Consumers, their employers and commercial health plans could have saved more than $20 billion last year through increased use of generic drugs, according to a report being released Tuesday by Express Scripts Inc., a pharmacy benefit manager.
• It said that on average a generic drug costs about $60 less per month than a brand name medicine.
• Consumers also pay lower co-payments for generics, saving $10 or more per prescription.
• --------------------------------------------------------------------------------Pharmacy benefit managers administer drug plans and organize the purchase, dispensing and reimbursement of medicines for health insurers or other large purchasers of health care such as employers and unions.
• "We promote generics only when their use is clinically appropriate," Express Scripts said in a statement.
• "Our mission is to make the use of prescription drugs safer and more affordable.
• Generic drugs, because they are tried and true and less expensive, help us fulfill both the safety and affordability parts of this mission."
• As health care costs have continued to rise, health plans have been giving consumers inducements to use generic drugs through offering lower co-payments on such medicines.
• Dr. Steve Miller, Express Scripts Vice President of Research, said that many people still do not feel comfortable asking their doctor about generic alternatives to brand name drugs.
• Miller added that drug advertisements reinforce a brand's name and image to the consumer.
• He also noted that doctors have no incentive to write generic drug prescriptions, especially when they receive samples and other perks from pharmaceutical companies.
• The most dramatic savings potential is for generic gastrointestinal drugs, which treat problems like acid reflux disease, where costs could fall $5.4 billion nationally.
• Miller said patients only need newer, stronger branded products like AstraZeneca's PLC Nexium 5 percent of the time.