Future of branded drugs in a generic world
Patent expiration: The generic factor
Key companies like Amgen, Pfizer, Roche, BMS and Novartis have their bestselling patented brands used for curing life threatening diseases facing patent expirations. The question then arises as to what these companies must do in order to ‘save’ their brands which have acceptability among the payers in the US and EU, despite their declining affordability among the masses due to their pressures on the healthcare budgets of the respective governments. These brands have an acceptance among the existing customers and patients are seldom willing to look for options till there are no better alternatives.
It needs to be seen that pharmaceutical companies worldwide are faced with multiple challenges to sustain these brands. They will have to manufacture their patented products for their existing and new users till the molecule reaches the patent expiration stage. The brand value would remain sustained as each prescription of the branded drug yields long term sales.