Generic drugs are, in many ways, the unsung hero of America’s health care system, bringing powerful medical innovations within the reach of millions more people. These cheaper copies of brand-name drugs — from pills that stop heart attacks to antibiotics that cure life-threatening infections — save America hundreds of billions of dollars a year. But will affordable, high-quality generic drugs continue to be there when we need them?

Some players are abandoning this business while others slash costs by cutting dangerous corners. Shortages of older generic drugs have become the norm, sending doctors scrambling. At the same time, crucial new medicines are proving tougher to copy on the cheap, saddling patients with brand-name prices.

Over the course of “Race to the Bottom,” our new three-part podcast series, we’ll explore why this industry that’s so essential to our health is in trouble — and what could change that.

In part one, we examine the history of this industry. Forty years ago this month, President Ronald Reagan signed groundbreaking, bipartisan legislation that gave birth to a new drug market. Lawmakers made choices back then that help explain the wild success and also the troubles we see today with generic medicines.

Guests:

Christine Baeder, MBA, President, Apotex USA

Alfred Engelberg, JD, retired attorney and former counsel to the Generic Pharmaceutical Association

Leslie Walker, Senior Reporter/Producer, Tradeoffs

Learn more and read a full transcript on our website.

Al Engelberg’s recently published memoir, “Breaking the Medicine Monopolies”, digs into the history of generic drugs. 

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