TAGline Fall 2014: hello generics

News on the fight to end HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, and tuberculosis

• A Drug by Any Other Name
  The basics of generic medications, bioequivalence, and the push for good manufacturing practices
  By Tim Horn
  
  Securing access to generic drugs to treat HIV, hepatitis C virus (HCV), and tuberculosis (TB) is now one of the most prominent strategies of global health care and treatment activism.
   
• The Road to Treatment Access
  Generic drug registration, licensing, and a trip to Gilead’s islands
  By Karyn Kaplan and Tracy Swan
  
  Access to essential medicines is part of the human right to health. But several steps are needed to create access to generics, including registration and licensing. Understanding these steps is critical for effective advocacy.
   
• Safeguarding against Stock-Outs
  The time has come for U.S. tuberculosis programs to have full access to the Stop TB Partnership’s Global Drug Facility procurement and stockpile safety nets
  By Kenyon Farrow
  
  In the United States, where low-prevalence diseases like tuberculosis (TB) are at the mercy of limited market competition among generic drug makers, which can result in drug shortages when manufacturing or distribution problems arise.
   
• Generics vs. the Giant
  For people with drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB), generic linezolid may be a lifesaver. But only if quality-assured versions are available and affordable
  By Erica Lessem
  
  As new drugs bedaquiline and delamanid offer renewed hope of treating DR-TB, doctors and programs are faced with the challenge of finding companion drugs to create regimens to which patients’ TB is still susceptible. For this reason, interest in procuring linezolid has been increasing.

Download TAGline Fall 2014: hello generics as pdf.

Source: Treatment Action Group