Major US payer/patient savings expected from generic Ambien

With more Americans turning to medications for a good night's sleep, the introduction of a generic version of French drug major Sanofi-Aventis' Ambien (zolpidem tartrate), which the Food and Drug Administration has just approved, presents multi-million dollar savings for consumers and health plan sponsors, helping to offset spending growth in what has become one of the fastest-growing categories of prescription drugs, according to research released by Medco Health Solutions.

Use of prescription sleep medications has grown significantly between 2001 and 2006; yet the availability of generic zolpidem could produce savings in excess of $150.0 million per year for Medco's plan sponsors and their members, helping to ease the financial burden of treating sleep disorders for consumers and health plan sponsors, the report notes.

"The brand-name monopoly on this drug category that was in part created by hundreds of millions of dollars spent each year in direct-to-consumer marketing and advertising - is now over," said Laizer Kornwasser, senior vice president, channel and generic strategy, Medco. "With a lower cost option available, and growing comfort level across the board with using generic medications to save money, consumers and plan sponsors are clearly set up to save tremendously," he added.