Generic prescription drugs continue to be filled at pharmacies throughout the state, leaving more brand name drugs on the shelves, saving consumers millions of dollars each year.
For the north country, those savings reached $14.55 million for 2008, according to a report released late last month by Excellus BlueCross BlueShield.
The estimated savings for Lewis County in 2007-08 are $2.04 million, while the estimated generic savings for St. Lawrence County are $5.16 million, according to the Excellus report. Jefferson County residents saved approximately $7.35 million by having prescriptions filled with generic drugs.
“We have to give generic by law, whatever is available,” said Lori E. Farquhar, pharmacist at The Falls Pharmacy, Lyons Falls.
“They’re comparable to the brand names, but a lot cheaper because generic companies don’t incur the cost of research and development. The quality is the same.”
Consumers save money because they have less out-of-pocket cost when generic prescription drugs are purchased, compared with the more expensive brand name drugs.
Generic drugs are compared with equivalent brand name drugs in the Food and Drug Administration’s “Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations” book, or “Orange Book.” Barbara A. Lofink, supervising pharmacist at P&C Food Inc., Carthage, said certain generic drugs might not be dispensed if they are not pharmaceutically and therapeutically equivalent to brand names.
“That’s one thing that makes you feel safe about the generics. New York state has stringent requirements,” she said.
If a doctor requests a brand name, he or she must write “dispense as written” on the bottom of the prescription. Patients don’t have the option to choose a brand name, Mrs. Lofink said.
She said she has recognized an increase in generic prescriptions, and although part of that is due to law that requires the cheaper medications to be given, the advent of Medicare Part D also encouraged seniors to switch to generic drugs.
Details of the Excellus report include that the percentage of generic prescriptions increased from 59.6 percent in 2007 to 64.7 percent in 2008 within the Central New York region of the state, which encompasses Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties.
Total estimated 2008 savings for the region, which also includes Oswego, Onondaga, Cayuga, Tompkins, Cortland and parts of Madison counties, was $82.31 million.
In 39 upstate New York counties, there was a total savings of $369 million in 2008, compared with 2007. The Excellus report said the analysis was based on prescription patterns of approximately 1.2 million people living in 39 counties of upstate New York from October 2007 to October 2008.