Health
Another statin joins ranks of generics
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted July 17, 2006
Zocor (simvastatin) has become the latest cholesterol-lowering drug to become available in generic form. Last month, the Food and Drug Administration gave IVAX Pharmaceuticals the go-ahead to manufacture 5 mg, 10 mg, 20 mg and 40 mg tablets. The 80 mg dosage will be made by Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals.
A generic version of Pravachol (pravastatin) was approved by the agency in April, and organizations that monitor health care costs said these two FDA actions would greatly reduce the economic burden of these drugs. A paper published online in Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs in June estimates that switching to these generics could lead to savings for consumers, insurers and government health plans ranging from $7 billion to $11 billion annually.
"This approval is another example of our agency's efforts to increase access to safe and effective generic alternatives as soon as the law permits," said Gary J. Buehler, RPh, director of the agency's Office of Generic Drugs. "Simvastatin is a widely used cholesterol lowering agency, and its generic version can bring significant savings to the millions of Americans with this disease."
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2006/07/17/hlbf0717.htm.
