Patients with epilepsy have greater medical utilization with generics than with brand-name medications.
Physicians and patients often prefer brand-name drugs because of anecdotal observations that generics differ in efficacy or side effects. To examine the issue systematically, researchers in an industry-supported study determined medical utilization rates associated with five brand-name antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) versus their generics from January 2000 through October 2007 in a large database (33,625 epilepsy patients; 90 health plans; mean follow-up, 4 years).
A plurality of patients (n=16,668) were taking phenytoin (carbamazepine, 9928; gabapentin monotherapy, 4076; primidone, 1301; zonisamide, 1652). Overall, most patients (54%) were stable (≤2 outpatient visits annually and no epilepsy-related emergency department visits). Overall, 12% of…
Reviewing Author
DisclosuresRoyaltiesTextbook of Traumatic Brain Injury, 2nd and 3rd editions
Editorial BoardsUpToDate; Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesNorth American Brain Injury Association (Board Member); National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (Chair of Data Monitoring Safety Board for study of donepezil on cognition after traumatic brain injury)
DisclosuresRoyaltiesTextbook of Traumatic Brain Injury, 2nd and 3rd editions
Editorial BoardsUpToDate; Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesNorth American Brain Injury Association (Board Member); National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (Chair of Data Monitoring Safety Board for study of donepezil on cognition after traumatic brain injury)