Elite Pharmaceuticals Inc (ELTP)

[WeeZuhl]

Any feedback from physicians on the board that have patients taking Lannett’s generic Adderall IR/ER?

I think it is important to remember that a generic substitute can be approved by the FDA if it is between 75-125% bioequivalent with brand name product. The hour by hour pharmacokinetics will look different. Each individual will react differently to different formulations. I see a lot of comments about additives and such, but the real reason people prefer one manufacturer over another is because of the differences in the pharmacokinetic curves of the active ingredient. It is unlikely additives have anything to do with it. It stands to reason that any person who has been taking a particular product for a long time, especially a strong drug like Adderall, will notice the difference when they suddenly have to change to a different formula. If they are getting more active ingredient sooner, they will feel the symptoms of overdose (anxiety, palpitations, etc). If they are getting less active ingredient or getting it later, they might feel the symptoms of withdrawal (lethargy, headache, etc.). Some folks are exquisitely sensitive to changes like this, some will barely notice. Some folks will like the change, some folks will not. I don't think it means one is better than the other, it just indicates they are different.

When a pharmacy customer complains about getting a new generic drug from different manufacturer, they are really complaining about the CHANGE rather than the manufacturer. What is most beneficial to the patient is to keep it consistent from fill to fill. Even the people who complain about the new formula will adjust to it and do fine as long as they continue to get the same formula each time. Pharmacists and pharmacy buyers know this, and they know they will get more complaints if they have to substitute a new manufacturer because the usual product is not available (no matter how good/not good the substitute might be). It really is a problem and is unfair to the patient if they are forced to accept a different manufacturer with each fill. Most patients are restricted by their insurance and cannot shop pharmacies for the drug they want, so they complain bitterly to the pharmacist and online whenever it happens, especially if it happens routinely. These are the kinds of considerations that cause the Walgeens buyer to choose Lannett over TEVA. It is a huge opportunity for Elite, but it is also a tryout. Walgreens knows they will get more complaints initially, but what they want from their distributor is a consistent supply. If Elite and Lannett can supply a quality product without recurrent shortgages, then the buyer will continue to click the Lannett button. But if they can't...

Back in the Before Times when I was a young ER doc in the I-10 corridor, during the heyday of the OxyContin Express, drug-seekers would actually request that I write on the prescription "Blue Lor-tabs only." (Actually, the Southern pronunciation is "Lora-Tabs"). They didn't want the white ones. Sometimes we would do 48 hour shifts out in the boonies, and people would call ahead to see which doctor was on duty. The locals knew us all by name, but the I-10 brought us lots of players. It was a regular occurence that one patient would be discharged from the ER and five other people would get up and walk out of the waiting room. There is no sense in going through the bother of an ER visit if all they're going to get is 10 dang white Lora-Tabs.


Usage of the word dang in the U.S.