Several years ago, a group of oncologists penned an editorial on drug prices, with Gleevec (imatinib mesylate), the groundbreaking tyrosine kinase inhibitor, as their illustration of egregious pricing practices. This is both puzzling and troubling, and appears to suggest that the pricing model for specialty generics differs from traditional generics. It only provides a reason for the fact that branded Gleevec sales haven't eroded as quickly as perhaps expected. Furthermore, there are currently three generic imatinib products on the market and the discount is still relatively minimal. There would appear to be something special or unique about the market (failure) circumstances surrounding Gleevec and generic imatinib, something which is hard to pin down.

Source: Forbes September 12, 2018 12:22 UTC