Upstate New Yorkers who take Prevacid for treating heartburn and acid reflux can switch to the drug's generic equivalent or over-the-counter version now that the Prevacid patent has expired, according to Univera Healthcare.

The current retail price of Prevacid is $212 per month. The generic lansoprazole, which has the same active ingredients, is a lower-priced option that is expected to cost about 70 percent less by mid-2010 as more companies are allowed to produce it. The manufacturer of the over-the-counter Prevacid 24HR is recommending that retailers charge $11.99 for a 14-day supply.

"The increased availability of generic and over-the-counter drugs saves consumers money at the pharmacy through lower copays and out-of-pocket costs. They also lower benefit expenses for employer-sponsored and government health plans, and studies show they may help to improve patient compliance," said Joel Owerbach, Univera Healthcare vice president and chief pharmacy officer. "It's a win-win for everyone."

Prevacid is a proton pump inhibitor, a class of drugs that treat heartburn and acid reflux. Its generic, lansoprazole joins other generic and over-the-counter heartburn medications include generic and over-the-counter omeprazole (brand-name Prilosec), Prilosec OTC and omeprazole OTC, and generic pantoprazole (brand-name Protonix).

"The increasing availability of over-the-counter options is terrific for those without prescription drug coverage," said Owerbach.

With the addition of generic Prevacid, there are now a host of safe, low cost medications for effectively treating heartburn.

Most drug manufacturers are granted an exclusive patent to produce a brand-name drug for a fixed period of time. Once the patent expires, multiple companies can produce a generic version, resulting in lower costs for consumers.

"On average, the cost of a generic drug is a quarter to one-third the cost of a brand-name drug," Owerbach said. "The potential annual savings across upstate New York for people taking Prevacid is tens of millions of dollars."

Other drugs whose patents are scheduled to expire in 2010 include Flomax, Hyzaar and Cozaar.

Flomax, the popular brand-name drug for the treatment of prostate enlargement, will become available as a generic early in 2010. More than 450,000 prescriptions were filled for Flomax in 2008 in upstate New York, at a cost of $51 million.

The generic equivalents of two brand-name drugs to treat high blood pressure, Hyzaar and Cozaar, are expected to become available in April 2010. These are the first brand-name drugs in their therapeutic category to come off patent.

Measurable increases in the use of generic drugs as alternatives to higher-priced brand-name drugs produced estimated savings totaling $369 million across upstate New York in 2008, according to an analysis of prescription patterns released in January 2009 by Univera Healthcare.