From Mark Green, the NYC Public Advocate. jamie
The Public Advocate of the City of New York is seeking information on
patients who have had an adverse reaction because of a drug substitution.
Specifically, we are looking for cases where the brand drug prescribed is
switched to a different brand drug altogether (with a different active
ingredient) or to a generic, sometimes non-bioequivalent.
We have read the position papers issued by the American Medical Association,
the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Osteopathic
Association (among others), all of whom are on record as opposing
therapeutic substition. We feel the issue must be addressed.
Please respond to this message with any feedback or information you have,
and/or post this message to listserves/sites you know of.
Thank you.
A six-month investigation by New York City Public Advocate Mark Green found
that the drugs received at pharmacies by consumers are increasingly not the
ones initially prescribed or desired by their doctors. Mark Green recently
put out a report entitled "Compromising Your Drug of Choice: How HMOs are
Dictating Your Next Prescription", which details the ways in which health
insurance plans - especially managed care organizations - switch patients'
drugs to cheaper though what may be medically less effective alternatives
and, in some cases, restrict accesss to critical medication altogether.
If you are a patient, physician, health-care professional, pharmacist,
advocate or anyone else who has knowledge of (1) an adverse reaction due to
a switch in drugs, or (2) someone who has been denied access to a medication
by a health plan, please contact us at: mgreen@pubadvocate.nyc.gov. You may
also call Rashmi at: (212) 669-4958. Your confidentiality will be
maintained upon request.
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Mark Green
Public Advocate for the City of New York
1 Centre Street 15th Fl. North
New York, NY 10007
(212) 699-7200
mgreen@pubadvocate.nyc.gov
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