Merck Fosamax Lawsuit withdrawn
March 12, 2007 15:28

Merkc is not always the defendent in a Fosamax Lawsuit. Accoridng to business news from India, Merck &Co, has withdrawn a Fosamax lawsuit it had filed against Mumbai-based Cipla. In the lawsuit, Merck alleged that Cipla had conducted unauthorised sales of... (Read Article)

GENERIC FOSAMAX: THE EFFECT OF PRICE REDUCTION ON THE COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF ALENDRONATE THERAPY
March 16, 2007 15:22

At The 28th Annual Meeting of the Society for Medical Decision Making (October 15-18, 2006), results were announced about Fosamax. Apparently the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of alendronate therapy compared to usual care in a 65-year old woman with severe osteoporosis, osteoporosis, and osteopenia is $17,700, $47,000, and $126,100 per QALY, respectively. With a 40% price reduction in its AWP, alendronate therapy costs $72,200 per QALY compared to usual care in osteopenic women; with a 60% price reduction, this cost drops to $45,400 per QALY. Alendronate is cost-saving compared to usual care at approximately 60% of its AWP in women with severe osteoporosis, and 20% of its AWP in women with osteoporosis. Thus, it is expected price reductions from loss of patent protection will improve the cost-effectiveness of alendronate therapy and may make it cost-saving in women with severe osteoporosis and osteoporosis. Whether generic alendronate becomes a cost-effective therapy in osteopenic women will depend on the extent of future price reductions. Authors: Hau Liu, MD, MBA, MPH, Smita Nayak, MD, Kaleb Michaud, MS, David Karpf, MD, Douglas K. Owens, MD, MS, and Alan Garber, MD, PhD. Stanford University, Stanford, CA, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA