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Prilosec costs for New Yorkers
More Than Heartburn At Stake In December 6 PrilosecR
Trial, According To Stop Patient Abuse Now New Yorkers to pay $12.5 million more monthly pending court decision Washington, D.C., December 5, 2001-New Yorkers are paying $12.5 million more than necessary each month to obtain Prilosec, the most prescribed drug in America, according to the SPAN coalition. The overpayments to Prilosec-maker, London-based AstraZeneca, may end when a New York federal court settles a dispute between AstraZeneca and companies that have been approved to sell generic versions of the drug. The patent on Prilosec expired October 5, which led to FDA approval on November 16 of generic versions. The generics are expected to cost 50-70 percent less, though AstraZeneca has sued numerous drug manufacturers to prevent their ability to sell generic versions of the drug. The suits have been consolidated before federal district court Judge Barbara Jones, who will begin the trial tomorrow.
"AstraZeneca will receive an extra $5.6 million from Prilosec sales every day it can prolong this trial," said Tim Fuller, SPAN founder and Executive Director of the Gray Panth ers. "Unfortunately, New Yorkers will be hit hardest."
New York Governor George Pataki sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Health & Human Services Tommy Thompson on November 15, in which he encouraged action to approve generic Prilosec sales and prevent "tactics used by pharmaceutical companies to prevent or delay consumer access to lower-cost prescription drugs." The letter was signed by 17 other governors. A SPAN survey in November showed that New Yorkers pay 276% more on average than Canadians for Prilosec. New Yorkers paid $137.33 each month on average for the drug (20 mgs./30 capsules) in New York City and Niagara Falls. Residents of Niagara Falls in New York paid 236% more for Prilosec than residents of Niagara Falls, Ontario, with whom they share a common border. More than 50 SPAN member organizations have formed a plaintiff class to file suit against AstraZeneca if it is found to have unfairly delayed consumer access to generic versions of Prilosec. Five New York SPAN members are included in the class, including Central Harlem Senior Citizens Coalition, Citizen Action of New York, Joint Public Affairs Committee for Older Adults, Metro New York Health Care for All Campaign, and the New York State Wide Senior Action Council. In addition, SPAN members sent a letter today to the New York State Common Retirement Fund asking fund managers to sell $13 million worth of aaiPharma, Inc. stock. The retirement fund is the third largest institutional investor in aaiPharma, which is working with AstraZeneca to prevent generic competition. One of the company's directors, Joseph Gleberman, is a partner at Goldman Sachs & Co., which also manages the retirement fund. SPAN is a national coalition of 125 senior and consumer advocacy groups founded by the Gray Panthers to improve consumer access to more affordable medicine. Visit www.SPANcoalition.org for more information.
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New
Yorkers spent nearly $300 million for about two million Prilosec
prescriptions last year, according to IMS Health. The New York Medicaid
program spent an additional $73,246,404 on 523,534 prescriptions,
according to state data New York consumers and taxpayers should be saving
nearly $150 million annually for the drug-or $12.5 million each month-when
competition for Prilosec is allowed. The state Medicaid program will save
nearly $35 million annually-or nearly $3 million each month.