Donepezil Snowballs, Offering More Generic Alternatives to Aricept®

Donepezil is the generic name, or checmical name, for Aricept

Good news for people with prescriptions for Aricept^®. Teva this week added its heft to the list of suppliers of generic Aricept^®.

The news here is even bigger than a drop in prices because of one more competitor. Teva’s entry sets a whole new stage for the price of Aricept^®. Until last November, only brand name Aricept^® was available and it was typically costly. Then, there was a six month “exclusivity” period where specific manufacturers were allowed to start making generic Aricept^®, and we saw the prices drop by a third. Take a look at the following price chart:

Now, any manufacturer who can satisfy the FDA can enter the donepezil market. We can expect to see more sources in the months ahead, along with the decline in prices that comes with healthy competition.

Six Questions on Generic Aricept^®

1. What is Donepezil?

Donepezil is the generic name (or chemical name) for Aricept^®. It describes the active ingredient that makes Aricept^® work. No one owns the name donepezil.

2. Who Owns Aricept^®?

The name “Aricept^®” is a trademarked brand name that is owned by a pharmaceutical company. For a certain number of years, the company had the exclusive right to manufacture the drug as a reward for its successful (and expensive) discovery. For example, in the USA, Pfizer and Eisai make the brand name version of donepezil called Aricept^®. For many years, only they could sell donepezil and they sold it as Aricept^®.

As of this week, that is no longer the case and anyone that satisfies FDA requirements can manufacture and sell donepezil.

3. Is Generic Donepezil the same as Aricept^®?

The U.S. FDA rates every generic medication regarding its "equivalency" to the brand name it imitates.

Today's generic donepezil versions generally have an “AB” rating from the FDA. An “AB” rating means that the active ingredient is equivalent. In other words, the FDA rates the donepezil in the generic tablets as equivalent to the donepezil in Aricept^®.

Keep in mind that this also means that the INACTIVE ingredients can be different. These ingredients usually consist of the fillers, dyes and coatings in the tablet. They do not seem to disturb the effectiveness of these pills in treating cognitive problems, but they may make a difference in areas such as allergies, sensitive stomachs and other indirectly related effects.

4. Who is Approved to Make Generic Aricept^®?

Here is the list as of today. The list is expected to grow in the months ahead.

• Greenstone, LLC (the generics subsidiary of Pfizer)
• Teva Pharamaceuticals USA
• Sandoz (a division of Novartis)
• Actavis
• Ranbaxy
• Wockhardt
• Mylan, Inc. (Updated as of June 7, 2011)

5. What Variations are Available

Generic Aricept^®, known as donepezil, is available in the following forms and strengths:

• 5 milligram tablets
• 5 milligram disintegrating tablets
• 10 milligram tablets
• 10 milligram disintegrating tablets

6. If I need 5 mg Aricept^®, can I save money by buying 10mg tablets and cutting them in half?

Many kinds of pills are indented, or "scored", in the middle to accommodate easy splitting. Brand-name Aricept^® tablets are not. Is there a good reason for this? To understand the considerations in pill-splitting better, we highly recommend the article from Consumer Reports, “PILL SPLITTING”.

More info on this article

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Taking patient off Aricept

Submitted by bigmama on Mon, 02/21/2011 - 10:54

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Without having discussed this with my Mom's primary doctor, what are your feelings about taking a patient off Aricept after 5+ years?  She's had no real side effects, but after taking a generic for Aricept for the past couple of months, she is having a problem with controlling her bowels.  I did not notice this as much until she started the generic form.  Someone suggested we just take her off completely, but I do not feel that would be a good idea.  Your thoughts please.

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More Information

About Teva

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NASDAQ: TEVA) is a leading global pharmaceutical company, committed to increasing access to high-quality healthcare by developing, producing and marketing affordable generic drugs as well as innovative and specialty pharmaceuticals and active pharmaceutical ingredients. Headquartered in Israel, Teva is the world's largest generic drug maker, with a global product portfolio of more than 1,450 molecules and a direct presence in about 60 countries. Teva's branded businesses focus on neurological, respiratory and women's health therapeutic areas as well as biologics. Teva's leading innovative product, Copaxone®, is the number one prescribed treatment for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. Teva employs approximately 40,000 people around the world and reached $16.1 billion in net sales in 2010.

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Published:
Most Recently Updated On:
July 7, 2011
First published on:
Week of June 5 - June 12, 2011
By:
Peter Berger, Editor, Alzheimer's Weekly
Medical accuracy review by:
Dr. Boaz Ancselovic, MD, Geriatrician, Alzheimer's Weekly.
Permalink:
http://alzheimersweekly.com/node/1269
Copyright:
© Copyright 2011, AlzheimersWeekly.com. All Rights Reserved.

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