Are Authorized Generics a Solution to High Drug Costs?

In response to concerns over drug prices, some pharmaceutical companies have released authorized generics as alternatives to brand-name products. These authorized generics could lower out-of-pocket costs for patients and also improve access to prescription drugs.

The authors state “In recent years, amid public outcry over high prices, several large pharmaceutical companies have launched “authorized generic” versions of their brand-name products at steeply reduced list prices, including for epinephrine injectors (EpiPen), insulin (Humalog and NovoLog), and hepatitis C treatments (Harvoni and Epclusa). In each case, the manufacturers garnered positive media attention when announcing their authorized generic products and the potential savings for patients, even while their brand-name counterparts remained under patent protection for years to come.” Read more here.

(Source: Dusetzina et al., JAMA Internal Medicine 1/25/21)