Generic HIV drugs 'cheaper but less effective'

[xchrom]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21012160


Any rise in the use of cheaper, non-branded HIV drugs could see more patients with treatment failure, doctors warn.

Soon-to-be available generic medicines could save the US health care system nearly $1bn a year, they say in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

But trial data suggests generic drugs might be slightly less effective.

And they require users to take three daily pills instead of one, increasing the risk some patients may miss doses.

[Protalker]

1. a long way from the HIV cocktail

,I worked in the HIV field when there was no treatment at all . The invention of the cocktail turned things around completely. The idea that people cannot take 3 pills a day boggles my mind. I have crap insurance and have to pay for all my own medication which of course is generic. With healthcare costs busting all budgets this seems a reasonable alternative

[pinto]

2. The flip side to this is wider distribution due to decreased provider / client cost, though.

Especially in areas where availability of pricey cocktails may be limited. Less effective is better than not effective in the big picture I think. And med compliance is always a possibility, regardless of the regimen.

A mixed bag, a lot of factors to weigh, yet I welcome the availability of generics.