Reduce Your Prescription Bill With Generic Drugs w by Lisa Chavis, RPh (NAPSA)—Prescription drugs can be a costly medical expense, especially for seniors and those who have chronic illnesses. One way to save moneyis to switch to generic drugs instead of more expensive brandname drugs whenever clinically appropriate. Generics are FDA-approved bioequivalents of their brand-namecounter““ parts, containing the ‘same active ingrediLisa Chavis, ents RPh and just as effective. According to a survey conducted by Medco, nearly 40 percent of consumers say they are not knowledgeable about generics, and what they don’t know about generics may be costing them lot of money: Generic drugs can cost up to 80 percent less if you are paying for them out of pocket, and many plans that use co-payments charge much lowerco-pays for generics. Even when your doctor prescribes a brand-name drug, your pharmacist can fill it with the generic equivalent as long as the physician has not checked the “Dispense As Written” box on the prescription. For many people, generic drugs are a cost-saving option. Ambien, a sleeping medication, became available in generic form earlier this year. The rising cost of health care affects businesses, too. Generics have becomeoneof the most important tools in keeping down the cost of the pharmacy benefit employers offer to their workers. Because of this, many health plans have implemented rules and incentives to promote the use of generics: Lower co-payments for generics than for brands, resulting in reduced out-of-pocket expenses for consumers using generics Step-therapy programs requiring that patients try the generic first before being prescribed the brand * For some companies, especially small ones, generics can mean the difference between providing a benefit or cutting coverage altogether. Some plans, like Medco’s Generics First™, only provide coverage for generics, while making brand-name drugs available, when necessary, at a discountedprice. About 75 percent of FDAapproved drugs have a generic equivalent or alternative. Once a brand-name medication loses patent protection, other manufacturers can produce a generic version, usually leading to substantially lowerprices. Commonly used drugs that are expected to come off patent in 2007 include Norvasc, Toprol and Coreg, which all treat high blood pharmacist for the Drug Utilization Review (DUR) department at ication; and Paxil CR, a depression and panic disorder treatment. books include “The Family Pharmacist” and “Ask Your Pharmacist.” pressure; Imitrex, a migraine med- For more information, visit www.medco.com. Lisa Chavis, RPh, is a lead Medco Health Solutions, Inc. Her
