GENERIC PRESCRIPTION drugs for osteoporosis do not treat the disease as effectively as branded drugs, according to the Irish Osteoporosis Society. The Government’s planned generic substitution scheme would allow pharmacists to switch the drug a doctor prescribes for a cheaper alternative.
In a letter to its members, the IOS rejected the Government’s position that generic drugs had the “same active ingredients, same quality, same safety and same strength”. President of the Irish Osteoporosis Society Prof Moira O’Brien stated in the letter that “this simply isn’t true”.
“Generics are a similar compound but there are not the same requirements for clinical trials with generics. There could be different side effects and you won’t know because there is nowhere near the same amount spent on clinical trials.”
Alendronic acid is the chemical name of a drug that is used to treat osteoporosis. Two recent studies in the UK have found that the branded version of alendronic acid, fosamax, is twice as effective as its generic substitute, alendronate, in restoring bone density.
The results of the study showed that patients on the generic drug had 50 per cent less improvement in their DXA scan (the scan used to determine bone density) compared with the patients who had continued to take the branded medication.
The patients who were placed on the generic drugs suffered higher levels of side effects. As a result, more patients on the generic substitute stopped taking their medication leaving them at an increased risk of fractures.
Alendronic acid was listed as the 36th most commonly prescribed product in 2008 costing the HSE more than €10 million. Prof O’Brien said that in the long term, prescribing the more expensive branded drug or focusing on prevention would save money.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health said: “The joint Department/HSE working group has consulted with a wide range of stakeholders over the past number of months. The Irish Osteoporosis Society has brought to the group’s attention research in relation to alendronic acid. This will be taken into account when the list of interchangeable medicines is being drawn up.”