FDA Approves Generic Version of Aricept for Alzheimer’s To Be Sold Immediately

Quick generic drug approval bulletin for today. If you have a family member or other loved suffers from Alzheimer’s Disease, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has finally approved the first generic version of Eisai and Pfizer’s popular prescription drug Aricept (Donepezil Hydrochloride) which treats Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, a general term for memory loss and other intellectual abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 50 to 70 percent of dementia cases.

Considering a thirty-day supply of brand-name Aricept is currently running about $260, this could easily be a huge savings for the families of many Alzhimer’s patients, so if someone in your family suffers from Alzheimer’s and is on Aricept, you should ask their doctor if they are an appropriate candidate for the Aricept generic counterpart.

Ranbaxy Laboratories, the pharmaceutical company which received the FDA’s approval for a generic version of Aricept has already stated that it plans to start selling its generic version of Aricept immediately.

Unfortunately, the FDA’s approval gives Ranbaxy exclusive rights to sell the generic drug for six months, so it will still probably take about six months for prices to start coming down. Still it’s a good sign that the cost of medication will come down sometime in the next year, and it should be a big help to many families who have a family member with Alzheimer’s.

Does someone in your family use Aricept? Tell us about it!

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