Flomax is part of a category of drugs called alpha blockers. They expand vasculature. They are an old drug and probably should be off of patent. However, a copycat drug called Flomax has spent a large amout of money on getting consumers to go with this brand.
Here is a quote from Consumer Reports Health on the topic of Flomax:
How much do men really need to spend to treat the symptoms of enlarged prostate? For most men, doxazosin—a generic alpha-blocker—works just as well and is as safe as the heavily-advertised drug Flomax (a brand-name alpha-blocker). But the kicker here is the difference in price: doxazosin can cost $10 or less a month, whereas Flomax can set you back up to $246.
Our new Best Buy Drugs report is based on a systematic review of more than 60 studies, and the results clearly show that no one alpha blocker is better than another at relieving enlarged prostate symptoms. This type of research, known as comparative effectiveness, is the basis for all our Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs reports.
But why doesn’t the public know that an effective, safe and cheaper drug already exists to treat the symptoms associated with this condition? One reason is advertising. And lots of it.
When it comes to Flomax, what the ads won’t tell you is that another drug—actually several drugs—already exist to treat the symptoms of enlarged prostate and they work just as well.
Flomax—actually considered to be a “me too” drug, one that isn’t a breakthrough drug and that is very similar to drugs already on the market for a specific condition—is a great case study on how that much advertising can result in more prescriptions written.
In 2008 alone, the makers of Flomax, Boehringer Ingelheim, spent more than $115 million advertising the drug to consumers—14 percent more than they did the year before, according to figures from Nielsen Media Research. All that advertising paid off. Flomax was among the top 20 most-commonly prescribed drugs that year, with 11 million prescriptions written, up almost 5 percent from the year before.
And here is the most jaw-dropping part: Consumers and their insurance companies shelled out more than $1.2 billion dollars for Flomax last year—a whopping 23 percent increase from 2007.
So the question is….why is this drug being perscribed?
See the full article here:
http://blogs.consumerreports.org/health/2009/06/say-no-to-flomax-and-save-up-to-3000-a-year-try-doxazosin-for-enlarged-prostate-best-buy-drugs.html?resultPageIndex=1&resultIndex=1
