Dr. Jerald Radich on Impact of Generic Imatinib in CML

Jerald P. Radich, MD, clinical research division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, discusses the impact of the approval of generic imatinib in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).

Generic imatinib, which seems to have the same toxicity and efficacy as branded imatinib, should really be substituted in wherever branded imatinib is normally used, says Radich. However, second-generation tyrosine-kinase inhibitor (TKIs) should still be used for patients that will benefit more from those agents.

Generic cancer drugs are needed in the United States, says Radich, as drug prices are extremely high. Branded imatinib, and second-generation drugs, are roughly about $100,000 a year, he says. Usually the price of a generic agent is roughly 40% of the branded agent when it first comes out. As competitive builds, the prices drop down even more, says Radich.

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