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Generic Imitrex To Go On Sale In December

by Rena Sherwood

It's the AntiChrist!!!Imitrex, near and dear to many with migraines, is a brand name made by the Prince of Giant Pharma, GlaxoSmithKline (nee: SmithKline Beecham), which has offices in America but is a British-owned company. One of the reasons that GlaxoSmithKline is such a mighty international company is that they charge a FORTUNE for their brand meds (remember when Tagamet was perscription only? OY!) Nine Imitrex tablets costs, on average, $200 (US). OUCH! It might be less painful to keep on having the migraines.

Now, thankfully, there is some competition for GSK and their CEO, Jean-Pierre Garnier, who will soon retire from GSK in order to pursue his destiny of being the AntiChrist.

Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited, a Princeton, New Jersey business that makes generic drugs in India, got a deal approved last week to make a generic (read: CHEAPER) Imitrex. They are going to be allowed to make three dosage sized tablets:

  • 25 mg
  • 50 mg
  • 100 mg

They will go under the name of Imitrex’s active ingrdient, sumatriptan succinate.

Litigation has been going on for some time about drug patent issues, but at least that’s all settled (knock on wood). The generic Imitrex is planned to be available to the general public this December. (There’s a Christmas gift idea for you, folks!)

It’s going to be Christmas every day for Ranbaxy, as Imitrex earns nearly $1 BILLION (US) yearly for GSK. The terms of the settlement are not being released to the public, which is probably a good thing. The gargantuan numbers flashing in front of our eyes would be enough to trigger a migraine.

However, so far, this generic Imitrex is for tablet form only. The injection and nasal spray versions will still be the sole property of GlaxoSmithKline … for now.

So, what do you do if you need Imitrex in the meantime (and with a migraine, that is a mean time indeed)? Basically, you’re screwed. This is the way Big Pharma is. Your choices are:

  • Steal it (not recommended)
  • Ask for any samples from your doctor (it happens, occassionally)
  • See if you qualify for GSK’s token attempt at giving a damn at GSK For You. Well, I’d change the midddle word for a more accurate description of the program, but…
  • Made a voodoo doll of Jean-Pierre Garnier and stick needles in his eyes and genitals. It won’t make your migraine go away, but it will make you feel a lot better in other ways.

10 Responses to “Generic Imitrex To Go On Sale In December”

  1. Dealing With Headaches » Blog Archive » Stick New Migraine Medicine Up Your Nose Says:

    [...] cost. I expect it’ll be a whopper, even in comparison to preventative migraine medicines like Imitrex. Did You Enjoy this Post? Subscribe to Dealing With Headaches. It’s Free! « Back Home [...]

  2. Dealing With Headaches » Blog Archive » Is Universal Heath Insurance a Right? Says:

    [...] hospitals, Big Pharma and medical insurance companies have turned something that can save lives into big business. And, as [...]

  3. Dealing With Headaches » Blog Archive » Trying To Save On Medicine Costs In America Says:

    [...] it costs so much that I’d rather have the migraine. But plans are under weigh for it to go generic this December. Guess what’s on my Xmas [...]

  4. Dealing With Headaches » Blog Archive » Even Big Pharma Is Hurting Says:

    [...] getting paid for that bottle of Imitrex I can’t buy. My prescription will expire before a generic form of Imitrex is planned to hit the market in December– unless GSK comes up with a way to apply for yet [...]

  5. C. Rose Says:

    I guess I will just have to continue to pay the outrageous price for the brand name. Sorry, but I’m just not comfortable taking drugs made in India.

  6. bruce ratcliffe Says:

    i am poor but get desport so i use ginkoba memory for preventiteve and and tbl spoon
    of sea salt in 4oz of hot water and use finger to snort till cluster goes away and cough up snot and snart hard to make it stop hurting. ps:and gaging but dont puke and lots of goodie powers and a country boy will survive.

  7. jp Says:

    You clearly have an axe to grind.

    If it weren’t for the existence and the profit motive of GSK to create new drugs, you’d be home in bed much of the time with your migraines (that GSK DID NOT cause).

    If any human creates valuable items that didn’t exist before, why does our culture presume that anyone who NEEDS it has a right to smash-n-grab those items at will? Why do the needy have a right to dictate what the inventors SHOULD earn?

    Don’t sacrifice the political system of voluntary free trade and (thus) wealth creation to your personal short-term wishes for free drugs–or you’ll cast the future of humanity in to another dark ages.

  8. Rena Sherwood Says:

    Of course I have an axe to grind. Can’t you tell :-)

    I’m not asking for free drugs. I’m asking for affordable drugs. Big difference. I also never said that GSK caused my migraines.

    GSK can afford to lower the cost of many of their drugs through no golden parachutes for JPG (too late for that, though) and stopping all television advertising. This would lower the cost of making the meds. Why should the rich dictate that they need to get even richer when the cost is suffering?

    As for your last paragraph, I hate to disappoint you, but I have no power to change any political system of the world. But I can complain about it.

    Thanks for taking the time to comment and being brave enough to identify yourself.

  9. Doc Shazam Says:

    I tried the generic form of Imitrex yesterday for the first time and it did not work. In addition, I asked the pharmacist how much it costs cash (as opposed to just the co-pay), and he said it was still over $200. So who’s screwing who now?

    Even at $200/9 tablets, Imitrex is effective and allows me to return to fuction on days that I have a migraine. I’ll be returning the generic tablets and getting the brand name.

  10. Rena Sherwood Says:

    Any drug should not be $200 for 9 pills (IMHO). That’s a real sick shame that the generic is now as expensive as the brand name. Thanks for commenting — I didn’t think the generic had actually been released yet.

    BTW, thanks to everyone who took time out of their lives to comment.

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