[e-drug] Patented new uses for old drugs (10)

["Joel Lexchin" <joel.lexchin@utoronto.ca>]

E-DRUG: Patented new uses for old drugs (10)
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Here is my understanding of what has happened in the U.S. with respect to
Prozac/Serafem but I'm happy to be corrected by anyone with more intimate
knowledge of the situation.. Lilly got a patent on the use of fluoxetine for
the treatment of premenstrual dysphoric disorder and did clinical trials to
show that the drug is more efficacious than placebo for this disorder. These
trials were used to get FDA approval for this indication. Now physicians can
write a prescription for any form of fluoxetine (generic, Prozac or Serafem)
but if they write a prescription for it for PMDD then the pharmacist is only
suppose to fill the prescription with Serafem since none of the generic
versions have this indication. (Don't ask me how the pharmacist is suppose
to know what indication the prescription is written for.)

Joel Lexchin
-- 
Joel Lexchin MD
121 Walmer Rd.
Toronto ON
Canada M5R 2X8
Tel: 416-964-7186
Fax: 416-736-5227
E mail: joel.lexchin@utoronto.ca