Drug Whore Thy Name Is Apotex

The difference in price between generic medications and brand name can be profound. Quite often, people who would never be able to afford brand name drugs end up buying the, equally as effective, generics which can prolong and even save lives.

I have always been a proponent of brand name medications because the price increase goes into research for newer, more effective medications. But when a patent ends and the generics come out, a whole new class of people can benefit from the generics. This is typically those on lower or fixed incomes.

Bloomberg is reporting about Briston-Myers Squibb Co. being investigated for a deal they struck with Apotex.

July 27 (Bloomberg) — Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. said the U.S. Justice Department is conducting a criminal probe of an accord that would delay generic competition to its biggest- selling drug, the Plavix blood thinner.

The company learned yesterday of an investigation by the Justice Department’s antitrust division, according to a statement today by the New York-based drugmaker. Bristol-Myers and partner Sanofi-Aventis SA had agreed to pay generic-drug maker Apotex Inc. an unspecified amount to stay off the market with a generic copy of Plavix until 2011.

So Apotex signed a deal to take money from BMS in exchange for screwing lower income Canadians. Hmmm. What do YOU call someone who takes money to screw people?

I would imagine with their biggest selling drug possibly going generic, the bottom line at BMS would be affected significantly.

For those who don’t recall, Apotex is the company who had executives and their teenage children donating the maximum political contribution to Liberal Leadership candidate Joe Volpe.

H/T to Small Dead Animals