What is a preferred brand drug?
Preferred brand drugs on our PML (preferred medication list) may result in a lower cost. All preferred brand drugs have received FDA approval as safe and effective, and have been chosen by a committee of physicians and pharmacists. Members are encouraged to consider preferred alternatives as a cost-effective substitution for a non-preferred drug, pending their prescriber’s approval.
A preferred brand drug list includes brand name medications used to treat a wide range of medical conditions. According to the applicable plan, these preferred medications are generally considered to offer equal or greater therapeutic value and to be more cost-effective than other brand medications in the same drug category. Only your doctor can decide whether a preferred medication is clinically appropriate for you. Please note that not all plans have a preferred drug list. Brand name drugs are researched and created by a pharmaceutical company. The pharmaceutical company will conduct many tests and research studies before it submits a drug to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approval. If the new medicine receives FDA approval, it is introduced into the marketplace, usually with much advertising to doctors and consumers. Generally, the company that developed the medicine has a patent and may have about 10 more years to market the drug exclusively. In other words, no other co
Related Questions
- A non-preferred drug is a medication that has been determined to have an alternative drug available that is clinically equivalent. If I am taking a brand name drug when a generic equivalent is available, at what co-payment level will this drug be available?
- Aetna RX charges like price for brand drug Altace and Ramipril which is the Generic. Is this officially recognized?
- Won’t generic companies stop challenging brand drug patents if Authorized Generics are allowed to continue?
