Generic medicines could rescue EU governments' spending

Government spending on medicines could be slashed in many European countries if the 10 most commonly prescribed medicines were replaced by generic medicines, says a study by the Katholieke University of Leuven in Belgium.

The study analysed the policy environment surrounding the retail market of generic medicines in 11 European Union countries and concluded that replacing just the 10 most frequently used, branded original medicines with generic products could result in a reduction of governments' drug expenditure by between 27% and 48% …