Upstate New Yorkers saved $224 million last year by using generic drugs as alternatives to higher-priced brand name varieties, according to a health insurer study.
Analysis shows that between October 2006 to October 2007, that use of generics in the 39 counties of upstate New York increased nearly four points, from 60.1 percent to 63.9 percent. With about $5 billion spent on prescription drugs annually across the region, this increase in the use of generics resulted in significant savings, according to the study by Excellus BlueCross BlueShield , a sister company of Amherst-based Univera Healthcare .
This update comes a year after Excellus issued a report stating that upstate New York had saved more than $130 million in 2006 by increasing the use of generic drugs.
"The increase in generic drug use means that more people in our community can afford important drug therapy," said Joel Owerbach, vice president and chief pharmacy officer for Excellus. "Our primary message is to encourage everyone who is taking a medication to ask their health care provider and pharmacist if a generic option is available and right for them. Clearly tens of thousands of people have asked that question and were switched to a generic."
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