June 21, 2012—Bristol-Myers Squibb’s (BMS) patient assistance foundation has notified hospitals that the drug manufacturer’s blockbuster anti-coagulant Plavix is no longer available for bulk replenishment. Plavix also is no longer listed on the foundation’s Web site among the medications available at no cost to low-income and uninsured individuals.[ms-protect-content id=”2799″]
According to market researchers, Plavix was the second-best-selling drug in the United States in 2011, with total sales of about $6.8 billion.
In letters to hospitals last month, the foundation said Plavix would no longer be available in bulk through its Hospital Outpatient Assistance Program (HOAP) effective May 17, the day the drug’s U.S. patent expired. On the same day, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved multiple generic versions of the drug, called clopidogrel, in 300 and 75 milligram dosages.
“Bristol-Myers Squibb is making changes to its hospital and patient assistance program to ensure that it concentrates its assistance in areas where there is significant overall need—in higher-cost, single-source products where there are no generic alternatives,” the letter stated. “In order to focus our efforts on areas where the barriers to access are high, the HOAP will discontinue assistance programs for patients where generally lower-cost generics are available.”
BMS said hospitals could submit bulk replenishment requests for Plavix only for orders provided to patients before June 17. The letter said questions should be directed to the BMS Patient Assistance Foundation at (866) 827-8184.[/ms-protect-content]