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Ontario urges feds not to allow generic OxyContin onto market
From Globe and Mail: Ontario is “strongly urging” the federal government not to let generic brands of the popular painkiller OxyContin into Canada once Purdue Pharmaceuticals’ patent runs out this fall.
The expiration of Purdue’s OxyContin patent on Nov. 25 opens the door for other companies to manufacture cheaper generic versions of the controlled-release oxycodone. Purdue will continue to make a new, tamper-resistant patented drug – OxyNEO – introduced to replace OxyContin earlier this year.
In a letter to federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq sent Friday, Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews asked Health Canada to withhold approval from applications to get generic versions on the market. Approving them, Ms. Matthews writes, “would further exacerbate the incidences of addiction and death in Canada and contribute to a growing public health crisis.”
OxyContin is among the most widely abused prescription drugs in Canada. Years into an epidemic, provinces are tightening rules on painkillers covered by their health plans and trying to get a better handle on who’s getting what pills and where.
“I understand generic manufacturers may have submitted their products for approval to market in Canada,” Ms. Matthews’ letter reads. “I urge you to direct your officials to consider the broader public health perspective.… The costs to society of the reintroduction of the more-easily abused version far outweigh the financial benefits.”
Health Canada confirmed that generic oxycodone could be on the market Nov. 25 if applications are approved, but wouldn’t say whether anyone has applied. “Once a submission is received, its existence or non-existence within the department remains confidential, proprietary information until it is approved,” spokeswoman Olivia Caron said in a e-mail.
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