Access to generic drugs in the 1950s: the politics of a social problem

From the published literature of the 1950s, the social history of anti-substitution law is analyzed in terms of sociological theory on the construction of social problems. The analysis reveals how the substitution of generic drugs for prescribed brands came to be recognized as a social problem in ne...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAmerican journal of public health (1971) Vol. 72; no. 5; pp. 468 - 475
Main Authors Facchinetti, N J, Dickson, W M
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Am Public Health Assoc 01.05.1982
American Public Health Association
Subjects
Drug Industry
Legislation, Pharmacy
Social Problems
Societies, Pharmaceutical
Therapeutic Equivalency
United States
United States Food and Drug Administration
United States
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Summary:From the published literature of the 1950s, the social history of anti-substitution law is analyzed in terms of sociological theory on the construction of social problems. The analysis reveals how the substitution of generic drugs for prescribed brands came to be recognized as a social problem in need of remedial legislation. The most influential party in the process was the brand-drug industry which centered the debate on matters of public health and professionalism instead of industrial profitability. The industry was able to form a coalition of interests and establish the saliency and legitimacy of the problem, even though there was no objective evidence to establish brand substitution as a hazard to health. The case fits well into the theory of social problem construction. Other issues in health care, particularly drug issues can be studied from this same perspective.
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ISSN:0090-0036
1541-0048
DOI:10.2105/AJPH.72.5.468