The Generic Advantage Ask your physician or pharmacist if any Fact 2 of the prescription you are Did you know that 69 percent of all prescriptions The process of all , 1 currently taking can be filled with a generic in the U.S. today are filled using generic drugs? including generics, is strictly regulated More patients and doctors are turning to by the U.S. government and the same alternative. Once you begin using generic generic drugs because they can save as much standards are met by all manufacturers. drugs whenever possible, you can start as 80 percent over the cost of brand-name The Food and Administration requires all to reduce costs while medications. Generic drugs are an option you drug manufacturers to comply with FDA Good maintaining the same strength, dosage may want to consider as a way to receive high- Manufacturing Practices and inspects plants and quality as the brand-name drug. quality at considerably lower prices. to ensure compliance. If the FDA identifies a Depending on your prescription drug plan, you manufacturer that does not meet these high For more information about generic drugs, may have a lower copayment when you choose standards, they work with the firm to stop go to www.theunadvertisedbrand.com. generic drugs. And choosing generic drugs production and, if appropriate, recall the product. can help contain costs, which may in turn help keep monthly premiums and out-of-pocket cost sharing from rising too quickly. Fact 3 A generic drug meets the same stringent Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue performance and standards Care Network of Michigan believe you should set by the U.S. government as the brand- know all the facts about generic drugs before name drug. deciding to try them. Remember to ask your doctor or pharmacist if generics are the right Each generic drug is laboratory-tested to ensure option for you. that the same amount of drug will be absorbed into the bloodstream as with the brand-name drug. Since 1984 no generic drug has been Fact 1 approved in the U.S. unless it has been shown 1 IMS Health, www.imshealth.com to have the same rate and amount of active drug A generic drug is made with the same active absorbed as the brand-name drug. 2 Drug Topics, Top 200 Generic and Brand Drugs by Top 10 Facts on ingredients and is available in the same Units in 2008, www.drugtopics.com strength and dosage form as the equivalent brand-name product. 3 Office of the Actuary, Centers for Medicare and Generic Drugs Medicaid Services, National Health Expenditure Generic drugs produce the same effects in Projections 2009-2019, www.cms.hhs.gov/ the body as brand-name drugs, because NationalHealthExpendData/downloads/ both contain identical active ingredients. BCN Advantage HMOSM, Medicare Plus proj2009.pdf The difference is in the name. The brand name is Blue PPOSM and Medicare Plus Blue PFFSSM the name under which the product is sold and is 4 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, are health plans with Medicare contracts. protected by a for up to 20 years. When Health, , 2008, cdc.gov/nchs/data/ Prescription Blue PDPSM is a stand alone the patent expires, other manufacturers can hus/hus08.pdf prescription drug plan with a Medicare contract. produce the generic equivalent of the brand and sell it under its generic name. H2319 H9572 H5883 S5584_O_ CF 11116 JAN 10 101172BCNA GenericsBrochFVNR_0210 Fact 4 Fact 5 Fact 6 Fact 7 A generic drug is as safe and provides the Many of the generic drugs approved by the Health care professionals strongly support Of the top 10 prescription drugs sold in same therapeutic effects as the brand-name FDA are manufactured by companies that the use of generic drugs. 2008, nine were generics. product for patients of all ages. also make brand-name drugs. The American Medical Association, the largest In fact, the top prescription sold in 2008 was As a group, generic drugs have no proven age- Many more generic drugs will become available as organization of medical doctors, states that generic the generic version of Vicodin®.2 related side effects that are different from brand- brand-name drugs lose their patent protection. More drug products are acceptable for use by the name drugs. Generics have been shown to be as commonly, brand manufacturers are making generic American public. Most hospitals routinely use generic safe as brand-name drugs and work no differently in drugs when they lose brand patent protection to drugs for treatment of their patients. Fact 8 children or the elderly. compete directly with other generic makers and their The American public spent $234 billion on branded product. prescription drugs in 2008.3 With the price of generic drugs averaging 30 to 80 Brand vs. Generic Drug Pricing percent less than the cost of brand-name drugs, the American public can save billions of dollars by using generic drugs. Overall, these savings can help control Altace® 10mg (quantity 30) $18.10 Generic price* the cost of health care in the U.S. without reducing High Blood Pressure $78.79 Brand price** the quality offered to patients. Ambien® 10mg $3.00 (quantity 30) Insomnia $172.76 * Generic price reflects Fact 9 Glucophage® XR 500mg $11.70 BCBSM maximum allowable (quantity 90) Diabetes $102.67 cost as of October 2009 Everyone can lower their prescription costs with generics, especially people over age 65. Imitrex® 100mg (quantity 12) $211.18 ** Brand price reflects average People over age 65 represent 13 percent of the U.S. Migraine $337.92 wholesale price as of population, and they account for 24 percent of the Norvasc® 5mg (quantity 30) $6.00 October 2009 nation’s prescription medication used each year.4 High Blood Pressure $65.68 Considerable savings can be gained through the use of generic drugs, which is great news for people over ® $16.50 Prilosec 20 mg (quantity 30) 65 who are the largest users of prescription drugs $166.64 Heartburn and often have fixed incomes. Tenormin® 50mg (quantity 30) $3.00 High Blood Pressure $56.61 Fact 10 Zocor® 20mg (quantity 30) $7.50 The decision to use generic medications is High Cholesterol $150.83 ultimately made through the cooperation of $7.50 Zoloft® 100mg (quantity 30) your physician, your pharmacist and you. $115.97 Depression $0 $50 $100 $150 $200 $250 $300 $350 $400 Prices based on 30-day supply