Generic Prescript. costs = Name Brand...huh? (Read 1195 times)

zoom-zoom


rectumdamnnearkilledem

    i wonder about this with zyrtec vs generic.

     

    I've never taken the name brand Zyrtec, but the generic works really well for me...it's the only oral allergy med I've found to be effective.  The name brand is WAY $$$.  That seems to be the case with all of the oral allergy meds, even though they no longer require a prescription.

    Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

    remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

         ~ Sarah Kay


    "run" "2" "eat"

      zyrtec works for me like magic. generic "zyrtec"... not so much. i haven't intentionally tried it enough to know if it's the case where zyrtec would not have solved my problem. if you see what i mean. and, i am talking zyrtec-D, not plain zyrtec, which i did not make clear.

      i find the sunshine beckons me to open up the gate and dream and dream ~~robbie williams

      zoom-zoom


      rectumdamnnearkilledem

        zyrtec works for me like magic. generic "zyrtec"... not so much. i haven't intentionally tried it enough to know if it's the case where zyrtec would not have solved my problem. if you see what i mean. and, i am talking zyrtec-D, not plain zyrtec, which i did not make clear.

         

        I wonder what would happen if you took generic zyrtec and name brand long-acting Sudafed.  Is the issue with generic maybe the decongestant and not the antihistamine...?   That would probably save some money. Confused

        Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

        remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

             ~ Sarah Kay

          This brings up another question...what if it's a drug that was developed overseas?  How does the process work when it's approved in the US?  Does the patent process start all over?  ie, is the drug fully repatented for the US market?  The reason I wonder this, is the primary long-acting asthma med I take (Qvar) was originally a European medication, I believe.  I think it's only recent that it was approved in the US.  Which makes me wonder how long it will be before that will be available in generic.  Something tells me I have a LONG wait.

           The approval process (Food and Drug Administration) is handled totally separately from the patenting process (US Patent and Trademark Office).

           

          Each country has its own separate patent system, so if you want protection for your invention in one country, then you need to file and go through the rigmarole in that country.  But, a patent application (which is published) filed in Germany is "prior art" against a U.S. application (even if both apps are owned by the same company).  Usually, companies file simultaneously in the various countries. 

          "If you have the fire, run..." -John Climacus

            It took me two days to finish this thread.... oh, what's that shiny object over there?  Oh, what's that?....   yeah... forgot my Concerta yesterday.  Big grin

            zoom-zoom


            rectumdamnnearkilledem

               The approval process (Food and Drug Administration) is handled totally separately from the patenting process (US Patent and Trademark Office).

               

              Each country has its own separate patent system, so if you want protection for your invention in one country, then you need to file and go through the rigmarole in that country.  But, a patent application (which is published) filed in Germany is "prior art" against a U.S. application (even if both apps are owned by the same company).  Usually, companies file simultaneously in the various countries. 

               

              Gotcha.

              Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

              remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                   ~ Sarah Kay

              zoom-zoom


              rectumdamnnearkilledem

                It took me two days to finish this thread.... oh, what's that shiny object over there?  Oh, what's that?....   yeah... forgot my Concerta yesterday.  Big grin

                 

                Is this you? Wink This is pretty much me every day. Tongue

                Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

                remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                     ~ Sarah Kay


                SMART Approach

                  You know, I wouldn't even have a problem paying for that new patented delivery method IF it actually worked...but it doesn't.  So now instead of paying $5 for something that works, I pay 7x as much for something that doesn't work.  Before receiving that patent the company that makes Pro-Air HFA inhalers should have had something that worked at least as well as what it replaced.  I end up going through at least 2x as many of the Pro-Air devices as I did the generic CFC powered ones...so, really, I'm paying at least 14x what I did for the banned generic.

                   

                  Have you tried Ventolin brand of Albuterol in the blue/turquise plastic canister. It also has a puff counter. http://www.ventolin.com/ When Albuterol was switched to HFA inhalers I originally got the yellow colored ones that comes out almost powder like.I hated it.  I tried the Ventolin and it feels like the old school puffers when you press it and actually shoots out better also. I like it much better and always request it at my pharmacy.

                  Run Coach. Recovery Coach. Founder of SMART Approach Training, Coaching & Recovery

                  Structured Marathon Adaptive Recovery Training

                  Safe Muscle Activation Recovery Technique

                  www.smartapproachtraining.com


                  Feeling the growl again

                    This brings up another question...what if it's a drug that was developed overseas?  How does the process work when it's approved in the US?  Does the patent process start all over?  ie, is the drug fully repatented for the US market?  The reason I wonder this, is the primary long-acting asthma med I take (Qvar) was originally a European medication, I believe.  I think it's only recent that it was approved in the US.  Which makes me wonder how long it will be before that will be available in generic.  Something tells me I have a LONG wait.

                     

                    Companies typically file patents in parallel in major countries around the globe.  However, while Nader described the basic patent process well, it is FAR more complicated than that even in the US.  Companies are given extra exclusivity onto their patent for how long it takes the gov't to review the patent application, potential orphan drug status, etc.  It's not just a set number.  Additionally, there is a thing called data package exclusivity I won't even get into that applies and can extend exclusivity especially in Europe.

                     

                    Intellectual property protection around the globe is extremely variable.  In China there is little but there are cultural drivers which make the market attractive even to branded companies whose drugs have gone generic --- docs want to use the branded anyways, partly due to concerns over the quality of generics there (hey, if you'll put melanime in dog food would you trust their drugs?).  In India there is terrible IP protection, which is why they have a thriving generics industry but no home-grown innovative drug companies developing new meds.  That's actually an example of why IP is important.  As Nader described, the whole purpose behind patents is to reward innovators by allowing them to profit from their inventions, but in return they must reveal all details of their invention so that after a reasonable period everyone will have access to use and build on it.

                    "If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does.  There's your pep talk for today.  Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

                     

                    I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills

                     

                      hahahahah!  That is totally me.  *sigh*

                       

                      What were we talking about?

                      zoom-zoom


                      rectumdamnnearkilledem

                        Have you tried Ventolin brand of Albuterol in the blue/turquise plastic canister. It also has a puff counter. http://www.ventolin.com/ When Albuterol was switched to HFA inhalers I originally got the yellow colored ones that comes out almost powder like.I hated it.  I tried the Ventolin and it feels like the old school puffers when you press it and actually shoots out better also. I like it much better and always request it at my pharmacy.

                         

                        Huh...I thought Pro-Air was the only player.  That is intriguing.  It even has an actual counter (wish my Qvar did, too.  I have to watch my calendar like a hawk to make sure I know when to toss one canister and replace it...and then account for those times when I accidentally grab the Qvar when I meant to grab the albuterol).  I'm going to have to ask my doc about that.  I assume my script would have to be written specifically for that, right?

                        Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

                        remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                             ~ Sarah Kay

                        Trent


                        Good Bad & The Monkey

                          I sure hope all you asthma folk are using a spacer device when taking your albuterol.  Otherwise, the puffers are fairly useless across the board.

                          zoom-zoom


                          rectumdamnnearkilledem

                            I sure hope all you asthma folk are using a spacer device when taking your albuterol.  Otherwise, the puffers are fairly useless across the board.

                             

                            I do with my Qvar, but I've not with my Pro-Air inhaler, since the product already seems so heavy and sticky that I've assumed it would end up lining the inside of the spacer and never actually making it into my lungs.

                            Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

                            remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                                 ~ Sarah Kay

                              Companies typically file patents in parallel in major countries around the globe.  However, while Nader described the basic patent process well, it is FAR more complicated than that even in the US.  Companies are given extra exclusivity onto their patent for how long it takes the gov't to review the patent application, potential orphan drug status, etc.  It's not just a set number.  Additionally, there is a thing called data package exclusivity I won't even get into that applies and can extend exclusivity especially in Europe.

                               

                              Intellectual property protection around the globe is extremely variable.  In China there is little but there are cultural drivers which make the market attractive even to branded companies whose drugs have gone generic --- docs want to use the branded anyways, partly due to concerns over the quality of generics there (hey, if you'll put melanime in dog food would you trust their drugs?).  In India there is terrible IP protection, which is why they have a thriving generics industry but no home-grown innovative drug companies developing new meds.  That's actually an example of why IP is important.  As Nader described, the whole purpose behind patents is to reward innovators by allowing them to profit from their inventions, but in return they must reveal all details of their invention so that after a reasonable period everyone will have access to use and build on it.

                              I don't mean to be overly argumentative, but to clean up some things in the last page or so ...

                               

                              Patent term is measured from the earliest effective filing date.  (So if you file your PCT application, then take it national into Europe 2.5 years later, then the EPO takes another 5.5 years to allow your claims ... you've got 12 years of patent term in front of you.)

                               

                              Patent term in the US can be extended if the USPTO takes longer than their target times for various steps in the process.  But the applicant must be more diligent, as she loses time, day for day, for each of delay on her side of the equation.  (This was borne of the PTO taking in more than its budget, with Congress skimming the extra for pocket money.  The PTO has a horrible backlog and has desperately been trying to modernize and hire more examiners.  They've never had the extra money to invest in themselves (since Congress keeps taking it) and can't get the budget increased that much that fast.)  Drug patents also get a separate extension based on FDA review time, but it's not one-for-one.

                               

                              The invention need not improve on what has come before.  It's not the function of the patent system to sort that out; capitalism and market forces are expected to take care of it.  Sometimes innovation is a technical advance but not as useful in the real world as the conventional product.

                               

                              There's a value to filing in countries that have less than robust IP regimes (e.g. China, India).  Those countries have large economies predicted to be among the world's top 3 by 2020.  Their IP laws and enforcement regime will tighten up.  Patent applications are a use-it-or-lose-it affair, so you can't wait around; you file and seek patents that will be enforceable 5-10 years from now.

                               

                              The "whole purpose" behind the patent monopoly in the US is not to reward inventors.  It is to encourage disclosure of inventions, so that others may stand on the shoulders of giants and more rapidly advance "the Useful Arts".  Jefferson (first commissioner of the PTO) hated the idea of patents and granting even limited monopolies.  During the time of the Constitutional Convention, he was persuaded that the public disclosures and resultant advancement of knowledge were worth it.

                              "I want you to pray as if everything depends on it, but I want you to prepare yourself as if everything depends on you."

                              -- Dick LeBeau


                              SMART Approach

                                Huh...I thought Pro-Air was the only player.  That is intriguing.  It even has an actual counter (wish my Qvar did, too.  I have to watch my calendar like a hawk to make sure I know when to toss one canister and replace it...and then account for those times when I accidentally grab the Qvar when I meant to grab the albuterol).  I'm going to have to ask my doc about that.  I assume my script would have to be written specifically for that, right?

                                 

                                The doc prescribes Albuterol so you can probably choose your source. It is the same active ingredient. I requested it from my pharmacy. You might want to check to see if your pharmacy has it and cost differences. It is worth the extra cost to me.

                                Run Coach. Recovery Coach. Founder of SMART Approach Training, Coaching & Recovery

                                Structured Marathon Adaptive Recovery Training

                                Safe Muscle Activation Recovery Technique

                                www.smartapproachtraining.com