:o Some good news. 8)
Snip~
The cost of prescription medicines used by millions of people every day is about to plummet.
The next 14 months will bring generic versions of seven of the world's 20 best-selling drugs, including the top two: cholesterol fighter Lipitor and blood thinner Plavix.
snip~
The flood of generics will continue for the next decade or so, as about 120 brand-name prescription drugs lose market exclusivity, according to prescription benefit manager Medco Health Solutions Inc.
"My estimation is at least 15 percent of the population is currently using one of the drugs whose patents will expire in 2011 or 2012," says Joel Owerbach, chief pharmacy officer for Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield, which serves most of upstate New York.
More @
http://xfinity.comcast.net/articles/news-general/20110725/US.Generics.Bonanza/ (http://xfinity.comcast.net/articles/news-general/20110725/US.Generics.Bonanza/)
One of the 'benefits' of living in China - I can import drugs from reliable pharma companies who are in India, Thailand, Indonesia, and South Korea who basically ignore US Patents on drugs (because they are, after all, US patents and thus not binding in jurisdictions outside the US).