Perspective               

Bush Proposes Fast Generic Drug Approval

After failing to support any effort to limit the ability of brand-name drug companies to manipulate drug patent laws, President Bush now has his own proposal. The Bush administration's plan would limit brand-name drug companies that hold drug patents to one automatic 30-month delay of a generic drug application while the Food and Drug Administration decides whether the generic drug should be allowed onto the market. In the past, drug patent holders have been able to file repeated 30-month delays, blocking the availability of cheaper, generic drugs for years.

Consumer groups praised the Bush administration's proposal for taking steps to increase the affordability of prescription drugs, but feel it still leaves drug companies too much freedom to block generic versions of brand-name drugs. In addition, the proposal would most likely take at least two years to go into effect.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the U.S. will spend $4.7 trillion on prescription drugs in the coming decade. President Bush's proposal would save less than one percent of that amount. Moreover, the fact remains that older and disabled Americans still lack comprehensive coverage for their prescription drugs--generic or brand name. They will continue to struggle to afford needed medications until Congress and the President enact legislation to add a comprehensive prescription drug benefit to the Medicare program.

For information on prescription drug discount programs, click here.

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