Pay 60% less for medicines in Abu Dhabi

  ABU DHABI - Starting on September 1, consumers will be able to buy cheaper medicine in Abu Dhabi when a new rule is implemented requiring pharmacies to offer generic medicines as a first choice. Generic medicine is cheaper by more than 60 percent than its branded counterpart but has all the approved equivalent of the original brand, with the same efficacy and safety. A new rule by the Department of Health requires pharmacies in the capital to offer insured patients generic medicine starting in September. However, patients may still choose branded versions but pay the price difference. To ensure efficient implementation, the department has already reviewed the prices of drugs available on the market and has developed reimbursement prices that expand the patient’s medicine choices. Experts believe generic medicine will significantly bring down the cost of medication for patients in the capital. For example, branded medicine Lipitor 20mg, which is used for cholesterol control, has a generic equivalent called Ateroz 20mg, which only costs Dh103.50. Experts say most medications that have been on the market for a number of years will have a generic drug available. These include painkillers, antibiotics and certain medication for chronic diseases. In addition to price advantage, generic drugs are also more widely available as they can be manufactured by more than one company. GAD/Expat 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