Expiry of patent protection on statins: Effects on pharmaceutical expenditure in Australia

Abstract

Objective: To compare changes in the costs of statins following patent expiry in Australia and England, and to estimate projected savings for Australia based on the government and consumers paying prices equivalent to those in England and increased use of generics. Design: Review of administrative data and predictive models based on recent trends. Setting: Administrative price and quantity data for the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme between January 2002 and October 2009, and comparable information from England. Main outcome measures: Total government and consumer expenditure on statins whose patent has expired, and projected expenditure on all statins from January 2009 to December 2019 under..