OK, I just invented a new word, so I had better explain it.You may be familiar with ‘greenwashing’, which is the practice of using marketing spin to create a false impression that an organisation is environmentally friendly.
You may also be familiar with ‘evergreening’, which refers to a variety of techniques and strategies employed – principally in the pharmaceutical industry – to extend the effective period during which a product is covered by patents after initial patent protection has expired.
Thus ‘evergreenwashing’ is my term for the practice of generic pharmaceutical manufacturers using marketing spin to create a false impression that they are the champions of low-cost medicines, whereas originating drug companies are serial abusers using the patent system to unfairly extend their monopolies on blockbuster drugs in order to line their pockets at the expense of the community.
Now, we know that generic manufacturers are not the ‘white knights’ of the Australian pharmaceutical sector. As I reported back in March, a recent study established that Australians are paying too much for generic pharmaceutical products (by up to 64 times, in one case) compared with consumers in other similar countries. Furthermore, the vast majority of the $1.3 billion dollars in savings identified in the study would come from measures that would prevent us from overpaying for generic drugs, rather than from any potential cost reductions in patented drugs.
My thoughts on this issue have been prompted by the imminent release of the final report of Australia’s Pharmaceutical Patents Review. The Review was announced back in October 2012, released a ‘background and issues’ paper in November 2012, and published its draft report in April 2013. Last week I was reading through some of the submissions in response to the draft report, when my attention was drawn to a (green) breakout box headed ‘Evergreening must be eradicated’ which appears on page 5 of a submission by Australian generic manufacturer Alphapharm [PDF, 478kB].
