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Fimmg: little information on generics, easier choice of brands

It is the lack of information on the part of generic manufacturers that does not allow the doctor to "deepen his knowledge of these drugs well". It is what is claimed by Giacomo Milillo, secretary of Fimmg, commenting both the data on the sector's market share (17%), always lower than that of the USA (80%) and the European average (55%), and the distrust of doctors and patients revealed by two recent American researches. «The manufacturers of generic drugs don't give much information» clarifies Milillo «the doctor cannot therefore deepen the knowledge of these drugs and their side effects which can be different, because it is always necessary to remember that saying that they are equivalent to the one with non-brand it means that they are the same". And he adds: «The doctor needs to be fully aware of what he has prescribed, for this reason in the end it is easier for the choice to fall on drugs that he already knows». Objections to which Giorgio Foresti, president of Assogenerici replies by reiterating that «if the pharmaceutical manufacturers of equivalent drugs want to continue selling products that cost 60% on average less than the branded ones, since they cannot sacrifice quality, they must necessarily give up investing in research, given that the molecules they use have already been discovered, and in scientific medical information», and inviting doctors to consider the possibility of «informing yourself». According to Foresti, the distrust of patients is justifiable by the introduction "a bit forced, justifying the choice only with economic savings, but not that of the doctor, indeed he must be the one to dispel any fear by immediately prescribing a generic drug where possible ». And he concludes: «The rule of double wording in the recipe, active ingredient plus possibly the name of the drug, recently introduced by Balduzzi seems right to me: it is a first step in educating citizens».

15 January 2013 – DoctoNews33

 You see: http://www.federaisf.org/Start/HDefault.aspx?Newsid=7301

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Fedaiisf Federazione delle Associazioni Italiane degli Informatori Scientifici del Farmaco e del Parafarmaco