New drugs from old

doi:10.1136/dtb.2006.441073

Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin 2006;44:73-77; doi:10.1136/dtb.2006.441073

New drugs from old

The NHS spends over £10 billion each year on medicines.¹The use of generic (patent-expired) medicines rather than brandedequivalents has a key role in containing this expenditure andensuring best value for money. On average, 4 years after thepatent of a branded medicine has expired in the UK, genericequivalents will account for around half of the drug's marketand cost about a quarter as much as the original brand.^1,2 Thisrepresents a potentially large loss of income and, therefore,a major concern for companies that market branded products.³Consequently, many use a long-term strategy known as 'lifecyclemanagement' to minimise loss and to maximise returns from suchproducts.^2,4 This encompasses prioritising products for development,forming strategic alliances with other companies to share resourses,and utilising legal processes to protect products. One partof this strategy is the development and intensive marketingof new formulations or derivatives of existing medicines nearingthe end of their patent life. Here we highlight some key examplesof the impact the marketing of such products can have on patients,prescribers and the NHS.