No.

37-176/2009 (SR)] “
“The entry and availability of generic medicines following patent expiration on innovator products have been associated with increased drug accessibility and remarkable healthcare cost savings in several countries.1 However, to ensure a continuous supply and availability of generic medicines, there must be in place enabling policies and complimentary demand-side practices of generic prescribing, generic dispensing and generic awareness.2 These measures foster the uptake of generic medicines and thus create a conductive market environment for an efficient production of generic medicines. Policies and practices related to generic medicines are highly diverse in nature with various policy measures implemented to meet the overall objectives of drug affordability and accessibility, including promoting the domestic industry.3 and 4 These policy measures GSK1120212 purchase are generally classified into supply-side and demand-side policies. However, both policy sides are complementary

and the optimal mix of the two ensure the availability and increased utilization of generic medicines, which in turn promote competition in the pharmaceutical market and a potential reduction in drug costs.1 and 5 On the supply side, generic medicines policies include regulations that assure the efficacy, safety and quality of generic medicines; and regulatory measures that facilitate market entry of SCH772984 solubility dmso generic medicines such as simplified registration procedures and differential registration fees. Others include pharmaceutical pricing policies and the implementation of regulatory exception or “Bolar provision” that allows the development of generic medicines while the innovator’s

product is still under patents, so that generic equivalent can enter the market as PDK4 soon as the innovator’s product patent expires.1 and 2 The demand-side policies largely focus on measures that encourage generic prescription, generic dispensing, generic awareness and generic consumption.1 and 2 In Malaysia, the government has long embraced the promotion of generic medicines usage in order to ensure drug affordability and containment of pharmaceutical expenditure, particularly with the launch of the national essential drugs list (NEDL) in 2000 and the publication of the Malaysia national medicines policy in 2007.6 Section 3.2 of the Malaysian national medicines policy under generic medicines policy aimed to encourage generic production, generic prescribing, generic dispensing, generic substitution and generic use in Malaysia.6 Another regulatory measure related to generic medicines is the incorporation of the regulatory exception provision in the Malaysian patent law, a provision that can potentially facilitate the early entry of generic medicines after patent expiration.