Generic Abilify?

[Still Kickin]

I believe Otsuka/Bristol-Myers Squibb exclusivity over Aripiprazole is set to expire 2 days from now. (???)

Has anyone heard anything about a generic waiting in the wings? Or know anything about the generic process? (I'm wondering if a generic manufacturer will have something "ready to go" immediately, or if it typically takes several months before a generic becomes available, or how exactly that works.) My googling has not turned up anything about a generic that's ready to go. (I'd think if someone had a generic waiting in the wings, there would be a prominent website somewhere with a "countdown" clock to April 20, or something like that, so my lack of google hits means it's going to be awhile yet? Or are they just not allowed to start publicizing anything about generic availability until April 20 has come and gone?)

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[Shikima]

It's coming and Otsuka is giving up $5 co-pay cards for their name brand stuff.

 

[whopper]

Don't expect it to become cheap anytime soon.

For a generic to become cheap, several companies have to make it and get into a bidding war over it. Will that happen? Unknown.

Abilify is the most prescribed med in America but it's for all the wrong reasons. IMHO it's more due to it's marketing and not because it's a superior med. It's parent company was able to market it as a an antidepressant augmentation agent and that's how the sales skyrocketed. There are plenty of $4 meds out there that would've accomplished the same goal but this behemoth of a price tag med got all the market share because of hot young drug reps doing their thing.

The fact that it is so widely popular could open more doors for competitors to start making it, but now that it's open for generic marketing the parent company could stop marketing it, it'd wane in popularity and so too will the desire to mass produce it cheap.

I do think the med has merit as an antipsychotic for those with a first-break or weaker psychosis. Also not bad for a bipolar disorder treatment. It is, however, a poor med for those with strong psychosis. It ranked fairly weak on CATIE.

 

[SmallBird]

Don't expect it to become cheap anytime soon.

For a generic to become cheap, several companies have to make it and get into a bidding war over it. Will that happen? Unknown.

Abilify is the most prescribed med in America but it's for all the wrong reasons. IMHO it's more due to it's marketing and not because it's a superior med. It's parent company was able to market it as a an antidepressant augmentation agent and that's how the sales skyrocketed. There are plenty of $4 meds out there that would've accomplished the same goal but this behemoth of a price tag med got all the market share because of hot young drug reps doing their thing.

The fact that it is so widely popular could open more doors for competitors to start making it, but now that it's open for generic marketing the parent company could stop marketing it, it'd wane in popularity and so too will the desire to mass produce it cheap.

I do think the med has merit as an antipsychotic for those with a first-break or weaker psychosis. Also not bad for a bipolar disorder treatment. It is, however, a poor med for those with strong psychosis. It ranked fairly weak on CATIE.

Abillify was not part of CATIE. And I don't think CATIE was able to show variable efficacy between SGAs they did study except clozapine.

 

[milesed]

It must be cheaper as all of our state medicaid MCO's are already allowing it without a PA.

 

[whopper]

Abillify was not part of CATIE. And I don't think CATIE was able to show variable efficacy between SGAs they did study except clozapine

I recall Abilify was in the study but I could be wrong.

Double checked, I'm not seeing Abilify on the study (so thanks for that correction).

 

[SmallBird]

I recall Abilify was in the study but I could be wrong.

Double checked, I'm not seeing Abilify on the study (so thanks for that correction).

Sure! But I almost think the second part of my comment is more important - perhaps you have a different perspective, but I really don't think CATIE was helpful in guiding our SGA choices beyond showing Clozapine to be more effective and Olanzapine to be well tolerated in the short term. There is folklore that ziprasidone is much 'weaker' than say risperidone but I don't feel this is something CATIE really established.

 

[PikminOC]

Abillify was not part of CATIE. And I don't think CATIE was able to show variable efficacy between SGAs they did study except clozapine.

That's why it ranked weak.

 

[F0nzie]

Abilify has been a miracle med at the SMI clinic I work at. Patients rarely feel tired on it and it does not cause as much weight gain. It also comes as a monthly injection. With med adherence being such a problem I have had success with using the monthly shot as monotherapy and dcing all oral meds. Many of my patient are relieved to be on it after having bad experiences with Risperidone or Olanzapine. Also, to my surprise, with its reputation of being a weak drug it has stabilized some really loose cannons.

 

[MLT2MT2DO]

Abilify has been a miracle med at the SMI clinic I work at. Patients rarely feel tired on it and it does not cause as much weight gain. It also comes as a monthly injection. With med adherence being such a problem I have had success with using the monthly shot as monotherapy and dcing all oral meds. Many of my patient are relieved to be on it after having bad experiences with Risperidone or Olanzapine. Also, to my surprise, with its reputation of being a weak drug it has stabilized some really loose cannons.

Is this as a primary or adjunct?