Key facts – contribution of generic medicines to the UK
- Generic competition saves the NHS £7bn per annum
- The average cost to the NHS of a branded medicine is £20; the average cost of a generic is less than £5
- The generics industry supply 64% of NHS dispensed medicines at only 29% of the NHS drugs bill
- On one product, based on current usage the generics industry has saved the taxpayer £1.1bn
- Competition from generics also stimulates the research based pharmaceutical industry to develop new medicines.
- Generic medicines meet the same standards of quality, safety and efficacy as originator brands
- In the UK, a free market approach with competition between manufacturers and incentives for GPs to prescribe and pharmacists to dispense generics leads to the lowest in the developed world and large savings to the NHS
- Further growth and NHS savings are constrained by regulatory delays and costs and the actions of some originator companies in trying to avoid or delay generic competition
