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From: werner@aecom.UUCP (Craig Werner)
Newsgroups: net.med,net.consumers
Subject: Valium Patent Expires
Message-ID: <1214@aecom.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 5-Mar-85 23:41:53 EST
Article-I.D.: aecom.1214
Posted: Tue Mar  5 23:41:53 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 7-Mar-85 15:45:48 EST
Distribution: na
Organization: Albert Einstein Coll. of Med., NY
Lines: 17
Xref: genrad net.med:1424 net.consumers:2024


	The end of an era has come:

	As of March 1, 1985, the patent by which Hoffman-LaRoche had
exclusive rights to make and market Valium, has expired. Thus, the
world's best selling tranquilizer (and for awhile the world's best
selling drug) will probably soon be available as generic diazepam.
Anyone in the pharmaceutical manufacturing business out there has a
chance to make a killing.

	(Incidentally, for you trivia buffs out there, the current best
selling drug worldwide is Tagamet, a treatment for Ulcers.)

-- 
				Craig Werner
				!philabs!aecom!werner
		What do you expect?  Watermelons are out of season!