Heartburn Drug Battle On The Horizon?

We may soon see a fight develop between managed-care companies and drug makers. On the one side is Novartis. It said it would soon start selling omeprazole, the generic version of Prilosec. On the other side is AstraZeneca, which sells Prilosec. On the third side is Procter & Gamble, stating it will begin selling an over-the-counter version of Prilosec on Sept. 15.

A court has yet to approve the sale of the generic version of Prilosec by Novartis. By not waiting for the court to decide the matter, Novartis could experience huge damages if a judge eventually rules that a generic version infringed patents owned by AstraZeneca. On the other hand, it also means that some consumers will soon save money on the medicine. Prilosec currently sells for $116 for a month's supply on Drugstore.com. But it can also mean other consumers will pay more if forced to purchase the OTC version. If their insurance companies now pay a big chunk of the cost for the prescription form of Prilosec, the OTC will cost them more. For example, one consumer, who gets her Prilosec mail order from an insurance-approved home-delivery pharmacy, pays only $12 for a three month supply of the prescription generic version of Prilosec.

More on this topic:
New York Times Article
Forum Discussion: Prilosec to go OTC: Is this good or bad?