Review by Choice Review
Physician/historian Greene (Johns Hopkins) provides a thoroughly researched discussion about generic products derived from innovative or brand-name drugs, focusing on their "social, political, and cultural history." Most laypeople have no concept of the rigorous testing behind generics and often think of these products as they do aftermarket car parts-similar but not as well made. This is false. Although generics and brand-name drugs are not identical, they are bioequivalent, and generics are cost-conscious choices for consumers. Interestingly, the public misperception is a desirable outcome for pharmaceutical companies that lose revenue from innovative drugs when generics become available. They argue that generic drugs crush research innovation and that developing drugs that consistently outperform previous products will eventually become impossible. One chapter discusses "me-too" drugs produced by Big Pharma in its bid for consumer dollars. The concept of pharmaceutical company-driven brand preference is buttressed by data showing that companies persuade physicians to promote brand medications through free samples, thus tempting patients to request the brands when samples are finished. Greene ably argues for generics by providing inside details about the drug approval process; he also discusses economic issues and how health care is micromanaged by those who seek to profit the most. See also Prescribing by Numbers (CH, Jul'07, 44-6261). Summing Up: Recommended. All health sciences collections. --Jennifer G. Schnellmann, Medical University of South Carolina
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Greene (Prescribed: Writing, Filling, Using, and Abusing the Prescription in Modern America) turns the concept of generic as ho-hum on its head with this jam-packed survey of the effects culture, medicine, and politics have exerted on todays ubiquitous generic drugs for the last 50 years. Painstakingly documented and researched, Greene, an associate professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, infuses plenty of drama into the tale of American consumerss shift from suspicion to support for drugs that are the same but not the same as brand-name medicines. From black-market medicines controlled by the mafia to the risk-taking pioneers of generic enterprise to the intense resistance of pharmaceutical producers-and doctors-to the rise of consumer rights and a patients right to know what he is buying and how much it costs, Greene laces this history with intrigue, ambiguity, and scandal. Students of the history of medicine will be intrigued, but his message is farther-reaching. In coming to grips with the future of our health care, the past, Greene writes, helps to orient us to the present, and the concept of same but not the same can also help us better understand biomedical innovation as well as the risks and rewards of debranding. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Greene (history of medicine, Johns Hopkins Univ.; Prescribing by the Numbers) reviews how the generic drug industry came into being in the United States, with some information about the development of generic drugs in India and Brazil, and how governmental regulation has affected the development of generic pharmaceuticals. As with many aspects of modern society, the part played by generic products has been driven by economics. Greene carefully details how various interests, traditional drug developers, generic drug companies, insurance companies, consumers, and doctors have shifted the role of generic medicines in society. It is important to know that these drugs are only similar to, not identical to, their brand-name components, a factor that adds significantly to the difficulty of regulation and oversight. The author also describes the emerging role of "me too" drugs, created when multiple manufacturers produce similarly purposed medicine to gain market share. VERDICT This is an excellent and recommended history of how the generic drug market came to be, but it is missing information about the current situation, which may be better addressed in Greene's previous work.-Eric D. Albright, Tufts Univ. Lib., Boston (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
