S. Stoyanova, E. Yordanov, E. Hristov, I. Parvova, Hristo Tzachev, V. Petkova
{"title":"Availability, affordability and drug utilization of biosimilar medicinal products, containing monoclonal antibodies in Bulgaria","authors":"S. Stoyanova, E. Yordanov, E. Hristov, I. Parvova, Hristo Tzachev, V. Petkova","doi":"10.1177/17411343211017627","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/17411343211017627","url":null,"abstract":"The entry of the biological medicinal products (BMPs) in the clinical practice more than 10 years ago raised complex regulatory issues as well as significant pharmacoeconomic concerns, because the costs of treatment is higher than the costs of the conventional products. The “data exclusivity” of BMPs expired and biosimilar medicinal products (BSMPs) are available on the market. The market share of BSMPs is expected to increase gradually and lead to cost reductions of biological treatment. Aim: To analyze the availability, affordability and drug utilization of BSMPs containing monoclonal antibodies in Bulgaria. Materials and methods: Retrospective study of the public data from EMA, National Council on Prices and Reimbursement and National Health Insurance Fund for 2015–2019. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed. Results and Discussion: On the ЕU level, BSMPs with Marketing Authorization are Adalimumab, Infliximab, Rituximab, Bevacizumab and Trastuzumab. In the Bulgarian Positive Drug List, there are 12 BSMPs with the same INN, excluding Bevacizumab. The total cost of BMPs is 691 673 158 BGN – the share of BSMPs is 34 139 639 BGN (4.7%). The access of BSMPs in Bulgaria is still very limited. BSMPs are available with the lower price, but the reference products are the preferred treatment. The reason for this could be the lack of national standards for the switching/interchangeability of BMPs with BSMPs, and the prescribers distrust of the so-called replacement therapies and aggressive drug promotion to the healthcare professionals are also of great importance.","PeriodicalId":15914,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Generic Medicines: The Business Journal for the Generic Medicines Sector","volume":"21 1","pages":"42 - 50"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87225857","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"US trade policy is putting at risk the sustainability of the generic/biosimilar industry and the drug supply chain","authors":"M. F. Jorge","doi":"10.1177/1741134321994316","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1741134321994316","url":null,"abstract":"With the outbreak of the Coronavirus there is a new realization of the vulnerabilities of the U.S. drug supply chain. However, while such concerns may have been amplified by the pandemic, they preceded Covid-19 and were well documented before 2020. Indeed, in past years the U.S. Congress held several hearings addressing potential vulnerabilities in the U.S. drug supply chain, in part due to the increasing dependency on China as a dominant supplier of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and some finished pharmaceutical products. These vulnerabilities go well beyond health policy and constitute a national security concern. The article addresses how U.S. trade policy plays a significant role in shaping the pharmaceutical industry at home and abroad and is in part responsible for some of the current vulnerabilities of the U.S. drug supply chain.","PeriodicalId":15914,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Generic Medicines: The Business Journal for the Generic Medicines Sector","volume":"112 1","pages":"55 - 60"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87698360","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Does regulatory chill still concern states?","authors":"Z. Boru","doi":"10.1177/17411343211001424","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/17411343211001424","url":null,"abstract":"Public health measures taken by States have been subject to mounting arbitration legal challenges. These challenges resulted in an argument that investment agreements in general and the prevalence of the Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanism, in particular, may force governments to refrain from introducing new legislative or policy measures due to a fear that the measures could be contested by investors. This situation, a fear to adopt legislative and similar other measures, is often referred to as “regulatory chill.” Recent arbitration cases show, however, that some of the cases involving pharmaceutical and similar other companies have been decided in favor of State Parties to the ISDS. In this regard, the legal claims initiated by Eli Lilly against the Government of Canada or the arbitration claims brought by Philip Morris against the Government of Australia and Uruguay can be cases in point. Due to these recent cases, some scholars have argued that the ISDS decisions (such as Eli Lilly and Government of Canada) demonstrate that regulatory chill may not be States’ concern anymore. This paper examines the obligations of State Parties to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR or Covenant) to ensure access to affordable health technologies (medicines, vaccines, etc.) and the likelihood of investment agreements to result in a “regulatory chill” that hinders the realization of the obligations. In order to do so, the paper takes the TPP’s (now CPTPP) investment chapter as a case in point.","PeriodicalId":15914,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Generic Medicines: The Business Journal for the Generic Medicines Sector","volume":"3 1","pages":"195 - 205"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"72946390","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"World trade organization’s export-oriented compulsory licensing mechanism: Foreseen policy concern for Africa to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic","authors":"M. Z. Abbas","doi":"10.1177/17411343211010205","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/17411343211010205","url":null,"abstract":"Africa has a history of grappling with outbreaks and high prevalence of disease. It currently confronts COVID-19 which is escalating because of local community transmission of the disease. Poorly resourced health systems in Africa are ill-prepared for the surging number of COVID-19 cases. This paper emphasizes that in the current battle against COVID-19, policymakers should not lose sight of future policy challenges. COVID-19 vaccine has become available, but patent exclusivities might play a major role in hindering access to it. With little or no indigenous pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity of its own, Africa will almost entirely rely on importing COVID-19 vaccines or treatment from third parties. The World Trade Organization’s (WTO’s) Paragraph 6 System, which relates to export-oriented compulsory licensing, is excessively formal and does not suit a pandemic situation which requires swift action. This paper draws policymakers’ attention of to a high priority policy concern for Africa.","PeriodicalId":15914,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Generic Medicines: The Business Journal for the Generic Medicines Sector","volume":"120 1","pages":"71 - 76"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"91286899","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Use of generic medicines in the Middle East: Knowledge, perceptions and experiences of the Sulaimani population, KRI, Iraq","authors":"Ramazan Uctu","doi":"10.1177/17411343211008948","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/17411343211008948","url":null,"abstract":"The aim of this study is to assess the level of knowledge, perception, and experiences of the Sulaimani population in KRI, Iraq. A descriptive and cross-sectional survey was performed with 389 participants (283 male, 106 female) in the city of Sulaimani. The main method of collecting data was done through a questionnaire which was made up of two sections; firstly assessing the demographic characteristics of the sample population, and secondly assessing their knowledge towards generic medicines and their perceptions of generic medicine usage and purchasing intention. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.726 which is considered as an acceptable value to measure internal consistency of the sampled population. As a result, this study showed that the sampled population did not have sufficient knowledge about generic medicines and would therefore also not be considering replacing branded medicines with the generics. This is mostly related to poor awareness of generic medicines and lack of publicity or awareness campaigns surrounding generic medicines. This study recommends that authorities invest in publicizing the use of generics and implement public awareness campaigns.","PeriodicalId":15914,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Generic Medicines: The Business Journal for the Generic Medicines Sector","volume":"10 1","pages":"206 - 213"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"78920725","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Regulatory approaches: Global medical device tracking advancement in USA, EU and India","authors":"G. Saini, M. Choudhary, V. Budhwar, Tarif Hussain","doi":"10.1177/17411343211005070","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/17411343211005070","url":null,"abstract":"Advancement in science & technology of medical industry is coming up with innovations. Medical devices play a vital role. Real Time Location System (RTLS) which includes Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) device, Wi-Fi technology that helps to look after adverse events and recall products when required, thereby, prevent theft by keeping regular check on their movement with location sensors. In 19th century two products of United States faced product withdrawal. After that, US felt the need to develop system for product record management and tracking. In 2004, FDA introduced Unique Device Identifier (UDI) for medical device tracking. With time, GHTF came up with UDI working groups and in 2013, new version of UDI guidelines for globally harmonized use was generated. In this article study about various countries has been done. It was found that countries like United States and Europe have introduced medical device tracking system and by 2022 this will be implemented in India.","PeriodicalId":15914,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Generic Medicines: The Business Journal for the Generic Medicines Sector","volume":"42 1","pages":"130 - 138"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"73561252","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Regulatory scenario of pharmaceutical advertisement in India, USA and Australia: A comparative study","authors":"V. Budhwar, Tarif Hussian, M. Choudhary, G. Saini","doi":"10.1177/17411343211005093","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/17411343211005093","url":null,"abstract":"Advertisements are essential for sustaining growth and economic development in a world for all kinds of industries. Drug development is a protracted process and a risky business. For new product entry in the market, advertising has a noteworthy positive impact. But some pharmaceutical products advertising specially branded products is controversial and doubtful to advertisement regulations. Advertising is an important asset for any industry to reach new consumers with faith in existing consumers forms over a decade. As per the regulatory perspective in pharmaceutical advertising which is much more than advertising in the serious sense of words itself. The different county has a different legislative framework for protects consumer and company rights. Administrative bodies and lawmakers limit the possibilities of advertising for better achievements. This study emphasizes the regulatory outline of pharmaceutical advertisements in India, USA and Australia.","PeriodicalId":15914,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Generic Medicines: The Business Journal for the Generic Medicines Sector","volume":"109 1","pages":"4 - 9"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85761081","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lovely Joylein, Bishop Adhikari, Megha Chellath Kottayi, G. Ravi, A. Dubey
{"title":"Comparison of regulatory dossier requirements for marketing authorization of generic solid dosage forms in the United States and Europe: A review","authors":"Lovely Joylein, Bishop Adhikari, Megha Chellath Kottayi, G. Ravi, A. Dubey","doi":"10.1177/17411343211000788","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/17411343211000788","url":null,"abstract":"Pharmaceutical solid dosage forms are categorized into several types based on the purpose, usage, and route of administration. Some examples of frequently available solid dosage forms include tablets, capsules, lozenges, powders, and granules. A generic drug is one of usually intending to be interchangeable with the innovator product, thereby making it essential for them to mimic the innovator drug concerning their safety and efficacy profiles. The essential concept of making a generic drug available hinges on its economic benefits towards the patient population as well as its feasibility in the development of benefits the pharmaceutical companies. Additionally, generic drugs expand the market of a particular API, thereby ensuring that an adequate number of medications are made available to cater to the needs of every patient and further preventing any issues arising out of drug shortages. The USFDA and the EMA, being two of the leading regulatory agencies across the globe, have long been associated with the development and drafting of regulations about the approval of generic drug products. A firm understanding of the regulatory requirements associated with the preparation of a generic drug dossier will aid pharmaceutical manufacturers in attaining favourable outcomes when desiring multicounty submissions, thereby ensuring a smooth review process without any substantial delays.","PeriodicalId":15914,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Generic Medicines: The Business Journal for the Generic Medicines Sector","volume":"14 1","pages":"174 - 182"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87629743","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Parallel importation as a policy option to reduce price of patented health technologies","authors":"M. Z. Abbas","doi":"10.1177/1741134321999418","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1741134321999418","url":null,"abstract":"The COVID-19 pandemic has burdened most of the health systems around the world. Governments, especially in resource-constrained low- and middle-income countries, are finding it hard to meet the health needs of their nationals. Patent exclusive rights further add to the cost of healthcare by allowing supra-competitive prices of protected technologies. Parallel importation of patented health technologies is a legitimate policy option to obtain patented health technologies at a reduced price. This paper examines the legality and practical significance of parallel trade of patented medicines as a price-reducing policy option and evaluates some of the practical hurdles in the actual use of this important public health flexibility. This study supports the adoption of international exhaustion of patent rights as a mandatory rule for the international trading system.","PeriodicalId":15914,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Generic Medicines: The Business Journal for the Generic Medicines Sector","volume":"79 1","pages":"214 - 219"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-02-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"74103288","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Courts address venue for cases brought under the Hatch-Waxman Act","authors":"S. Hamidinia, Paul A. Braier","doi":"10.1177/1741134321992396","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/1741134321992396","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":15914,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Generic Medicines: The Business Journal for the Generic Medicines Sector","volume":"1 1","pages":"29 - 32"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"73771715","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}