Be wise with new generics
February 24, 2012
IN the lead up to the expiry of
Lipitor’s patent on 01 May this year,
and as the first generic versions of
atorvastatin hit Aussie pharmacies
this week, NPS is urging consumers
to be medicinewise when making a
choice between medicine brands.
“Lipitor is one of the most
commonly prescribed medicines,
with over 10 million prescriptions
written every year,” said NPS CEO
Lynn Weekes.
“As new brands come onto the
market, it is likely many people will
be offered a choice of different
medicine brands.
“It’s important people know that
no matter what brand they choose,
if the active ingredient and the size
of the dose is the same the
medicine will work the same in
their body,” she added.
Part of the NPS’ concern over
consumer confusion stems from
research it conducted last year
which found that 40% of Aussies
are not able to identify an active
ingredient on a medicine packet.
“Some active ingredient names
are long, complicated and difficult
to pronounce, others sound similar
to the brand name of a medicine
and some sound nothing like it at
all,” Weekes said.
“Adding to the confusion, some
brand names look and sound
similar yet have totally different
active ingredients and are used to
treat completely different conditions.
“All this confusion can lead to
people making mistakes with their
medicines, such as accidentally
double dosing, taking something
they are allergic to or mixing
medicines which shouldn’t be
mixed,” she added.
Open discussions between
pharmacists and patients can stop
medicine mistakes in their tracks,
according to Weekes, who added
that if people have allergies to
certain agents such as gluten or
lactose, they should check with
their pharmacist or doctor before
switching brands.
NPS is also reminding the industry
of its medicinewise tools to help
consumers make safe choices, such
as its Medicines List, which helps
consumers keep track of their
current medications.
See www.nps.org for more details.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 24 Feb 12To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 24 Feb 12
