The turbulent history of generic pharmaceuticals raises powerful questions about similarity and difference in modern medicine. Generic drugs are now familiar objects in clinics, drugstores, and households around the world. We like to think of these tablets, capsules, patches, and ointments as interchangeable with their brand-name counterparts: why pay more for the same? And yet they are not quite the same. They differ in price, in place of origin, in color, shape, and size, in the dyes, binders, fillers, and coatings used, and in a host of other ways. Claims of generic equivalence, as physician-historian Jeremy Greene reveals in this gripping narrative, are never based on being identical to the original drug in all respects, but in being the same in all ways that matter. How do we know what parts of a pill really matter? Decisions about which differences are significant and which are trivial in the world of therapeutics are not resolved by simple chemical or biological assays alone. As Greene reveals in this fascinating account, questions of therapeutic similarity and difference are also always questions of pharmacology and physiology, of economics and politics, of morality and belief. Generic is the first book to chronicle the social, political, and cultural history of generic drugs in America. It narrates the evolution of the generic drug industry from a set of mid-twentieth-century "schlock houses" and "counterfeiters" into an agile and surprisingly powerful set of multinational corporations in the early twenty-first century. The substitution of bioequivalent generic drugs for more expensive brand-name products is a rare success story in a field of failed attempts to deliver equivalent value in health care for a lower price. Greene’s history sheds light on the controversies shadowing the success of generics: problems with the generalizability of medical knowledge, the fragile role of science in public policy, and the increasing role of industry, marketing, and consumer logics in late-twentieth-century and early twenty-first century health care.

In this era of increased pharmaceutical industry competition, success for generic drug companies is dependent on their ability to manufacture therapeutic-equivalent drug products in an economical and timely manner, while also being cognizant of patent infringement and other legal and regulatory concerns.Generic Drug Product Development: Solid Oral

Thanks to remarkable advances in modern health care attributable to science, engineering, and medicine, it is now possible to cure or manage illnesses that were long deemed untreatable. At the same time, however, the United States is facing the vexing challenge of a seemingly uncontrolled rise in the cost of health care. Total medical expenditures are rapidly approaching 20 percent of the gross domestic product and are crowding out other priorities of national importance. The use of increasingly expensive prescription drugs is a significant part of this problem, making the cost of biopharmaceuticals a serious national concern with broad political implications. Especially with the highly visible and very large price increases for prescription drugs that have occurred in recent years, finding a way to make prescription medicinesâ€"and health care at largeâ€"more affordable for everyone has become a socioeconomic imperative. Affordability is a complex function of factors, including not just the prices of the drugs themselves, but also the details of an individual's insurance coverage and the number of medical conditions that an individual or family confronts. Therefore, any solution to the affordability issue will require considering all of these factors together. The current high and increasing costs of prescription drugsâ€"coupled with the broader trends in overall health care costsâ€"is unsustainable to society as a whole. Making Medicines Affordable examines patient access to affordable and effective therapies, with emphasis on drug pricing, inflation in the cost of drugs, and insurance design. This report explores structural and policy factors influencing drug pricing, drug access programs, the emerging role of comparative effectiveness assessments in payment policies, changing finances of medical practice with regard to drug costs and reimbursement, and measures to prevent drug shortages and foster continued innovation in drug development. It makes recommendations for policy actions that could address drug price trends, improve patient access to affordable and effective treatments, and encourage innovations that address significant needs in health care.

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Diagnostics and Therapy in Veterinary Dermatology presents thorough coverage of the latest discoveries, drugs, and treatments for dermatologic conditions in animals. Chapters written by experts in each respective area of veterinary dermatology contain up-to-date information on new diagnostic tools and tests, autoimmune diseases, parasitic and fungal infections, medical management of acute and chronic conditions, alternative dermatologic therapies, and more. Offering practical solutions for both specialist and general practice veterinarians dealing with dermatology cases, this wide-ranging resource also addresses antibiotic resistance and misuse, the availability of foods for elimination diet trials, problems with generic drugs, emerging infectious diseases, and other important problems currently facing the profession. Throughout the text, veterinary practitioners are provided with real-world guidance on improving how they work up their dermatology cases and strengthening communication between the primary care veterinarian and the dermatologist. Edited by a leading board-certified dermatologist, this volume: Focuses on cats and dogs Includes numerous high-quality clinical photographs illustrating all key concepts Covers topics such as how to use your nursing staff to the fullest, the One Health movement, and how changing climate is increasing the spread of certain dermatologic diseases Discusses approaches for building a better working relationship between clients, primary care veterinarians and dermatologists Provides insights on the future of technology in the diagnosis and treatment of dermatologic diseases Covering the very latest developments in the field, Diagnostics and Therapy in Veterinary Dermatology is essential reading for veterinary dermatologists, veterinary students, and any veterinary general practitioner with a dermatology caseload.