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From: carter@gatech.UUCP (Carter Bullard)
Newsgroups: net.med
Subject: Re: Valium Patent Expires
Message-ID: <12438@gatech.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 9-Mar-85 13:53:41 EST
Article-I.D.: gatech.12438
Posted: Sat Mar  9 13:53:41 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 10-Mar-85 14:44:34 EST
References: <1214@aecom.UUCP>
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Organization: School of ICS, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta
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> 	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.

Excuse me, but valium in not a tranquilizer.  It is an anxiolytic.
It may seem that I am being a little picky,  but to say that valium is a
tranquilizer is very wrong.  Phenothiazines are major tranquilizers,
and barbiturates are minor tranquilizers, just to give you some examples.

The chances for making a killing off generic valium, now is extremely slim.
If you wanted to make money off generic valium, you needed to start about 
4-5 years ago.  And you wouldn't make a killing, not as long as the sole
international producer of valium is Hoffman-LaRoche.  Building a
factory to make cars in your back yard is alot easier to do than building 
a drug production plant in the United States.  Also remember, that the
"exclusive right" only applies to the United States and its territories.
Foriegn competition for the new valium market is going to be at first
quite high.  Well anyway, don't bet your house.

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

Actually, cocaine is the current best selling drug worldwide, only beacuse
of the US market, in both gross income, profit margin and number of 
refills.  But in total weight processed and distributed, I think ethanol is 
still number 1, especially since they are putting it in gasoline now.
-- 
Carter Bullard
ICS, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta GA 30332
CSNet:Carter @ Gatech	ARPA:Carter.Gatech @ CSNet-relay.arpa
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