A recent European Commission report chastised the pharmaceutical industry for what it claims are anti-competitive practices aimed to prevent generic drug manufacturers from entering the market with low-priced copies of branded prescription medications. In the report, the Commission claims that big pharma’s counter-generics strategies cost European Union member states around 3 billion euros from 2000 through 2007. The European Commission’s report, which attacks the pharmaceutical industry for exercising its right to defend its patents and to earn a return on the billions it invests in research and development, reflects the Commission’s shortsighted vantage point. The Commission conveniently ignores the billions of euros of value that the pharmaceutical industry invests in the economy, as well as the immeasurable value that the industry’s R&D innovation generates in quality-of-life improvements and overall health improvement of the EU member nations. According to a report, “Combating Generics 2008: Counter-Generics Strategy, Tactics and Execution” (www.PharmaGenerics.com), from pharmaceutical business intelligence company Cutting Edge Information, when regulatory authorities like the European Commission begin to erode the economic incentives that drive investment in innovation and new drug discovery and development, they put at risk the lives and well-being of the very populations they are charged with protecting. “This European Commission report reveals that the Commission simply does not understand the full economic and healthcare implications of its policy stance,” says Adam Bianchi, chief operating officer of Cutting Edge Information. “Ethical drug manufacturers should have every right to file patent infringement lawsuits to defend their intellectual property, release new and improved medications designed to replace existing therapies, and to protect the billions they have invested to bring new medicines to market.” Cutting Edge Information’s report, “Combating Generics 2008: Counter-Generics Strategy, Tactics and Execution,” details the present and planned future usage of a dozen counter-generics strategies and examines other counter-generics activity at more than 30 different companies. Data details investment levels, planning and implementation timelines and the prominence of different tools and tactics in the fight against generic competition. The report’s findings also explore case studies and the experiences of real-world brand teams.A complimentary brochure of “Combating Generics 2008: Counter-Generics Strategy, Tactics and Execution” is available at www.PharmaGenerics.com.
