Tag: Me too drugs

Over 60% of the drugs on the World Health Organization's essential medicines list are classified as 'me-too' drugs, highlighting their widespread prevalence in healthcare. The question of whether these follow-on medications are justified, however, continues to be a contentious topic in the fields of pharmacology and pharmaceutical ethics.

According to a 2016 study published in *Health Affairs*, Medicare Part D patients paid average copayments more than 10 times higher for certain brand-name “me too” medications compared to their generic therapeutic alternatives. This stark statistic highlights the complex and often counterintuitive pricing of me too drugs within the pharmaceutical marketplace.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 60% of the drugs on its essential medicines list are me-too drugs. This statistic highlights the common but often misunderstood presence of these follow-on pharmaceuticals in modern medicine, raising important questions about their value and purpose.