Here are five things to know:
1. Generics account for 88 percent of prescriptions dispensed throughout the United States.
2. However, generics only account for 28 percent of total pharmaceutical spending.
3. Specialty drugs, which comprise only 1 percent of dispensed prescriptions, account for more than 30 percent of total drug costs.
4. Many companies often deny generic manufacturers from accessing product samples to conduct the bioequivalence studies the FDA requires for for generic drugs. Such practices are prime examples of companies misusing the FDA-mandated Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies, which the FDA created to ensure patient safety.
5. Various organizations are imploring Congress to pass the Fair Access to Safe and Timely Generics Act, which would work to get rid of loopholes in REMS which make it easy for companies to engage in anti-competitive practices.
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