Pfizer said it will charge the same price for the drugs as it does for
chemically identical copies, or generics.
The Swiss price cuts will become effective on Aug. 1, Pfizer said.
Pfizer, based in the U.S., is the world's largest pharmaceutical
company by sales.
The price cuts follow an agreement between the pharmaceutical industry
and the Swiss government in the fall of 2005, which aimed at limiting
the rise in healthcare spending.
Under the pact, the highest possible price that can be charged for a
generic drug is 70% of the price of the original product.
A few months later, effective Jan. 1, 2006, the government also
introduced a new regulation to encourage the use of generic medicines.
Under the new rules patients pay a lower percentage share of the
medicine's price - 10% instead of 20% - if they are taking a generic
version of a branded drug.
Interpharma, a Swiss pharmaceutical industry trade group, estimates
that by the end of July, the prices of around 1,400 medicines will
have dropped by 30% on average.
Labels: No Prescription, Online Pharmacy, Prescription Drugs
# posted by Network @ 4:25 PM
