NeuroTalk Support Groups - Obama calls for generic biotech drugs

Obama calls for generic biotech drugs

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Obama's budget aims to foster generic competition for costly biotech drugs used to treat cancer and other intractable ailments.
With Americans now spending more than $40 billion a year on such medications, the budget calls on Congress to set up a framework for regulators to approve generic versions, cutting costs for government programs, employers and patients.

Biologic drugs are produced from living organisms — not from chemicals. They are often the first-line treatments for diseases that involve the immune system, such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. But the medications are among the costliest, with many easily exceeding $1,000 a month.

When the patent expires on a drug made from chemicals, generic manufacturers can enter the market by showing the Food and Drug Administration that their version contains the same active ingredients, and is identical in strength, dosage and other characteristics to the brand medication.

Find this article at:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/...e_N.htm?csp=34