The study — released Sept. 1 from the Washington, D.C.-based economic policy consulting firm and commissioned by the Coalition for Affordable Prescription Drugs — studied the effects of product hopping on the U.S. healthcare system.
Product hopping occurs when a brand-name drugmaker moves patients to a reformulated version of a drug when an existing drug’s patent is set to expire.
Just five instances of product hopping cost the U.S. healthcare system $4.7 billion annually, the study found. It looked at instances of product hopping for the brand-name drugs Prilosec, TriCor, Suboxone, Doryx and Namenda.
Brand-name drugmakers use product hopping to preserve monopolies and prevent generic competition, the study said. Generic drug savings can’t be realized if patients have been moved to a drug that is protected by patents before generic competitors can enter the market.
Find the full study here.
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