Need for Pharmacogenomic Information Also for Generic Medications Recommendation of the European Society of Pharmacogenomics and Theranostics (ESPT) SciDoc Publishers | Open Access | Science Journals | Media Partners

Generic Clopidogrel has been available on the market for a few years and is currently produced by several pharmaceutical companies all over the world. In France, for instance, generic versions of Clopidogrel have been available since 2009, with some 21 French generic products currently on the market. The majority of generic versions, however, differ from the branded product, PLAVIX, by the salt formulation. Only the generic Clopidogrel marked by Zentiva, (the European generics business for the Sanofi group), has the same formulation as PLAVIX. Although this structural difference may potientially have an impact on the pharmacokinetics of Clopidogrel, it does not have an effect on the pharmacogenetic conversion to active metabolites. Therefore, the same pharmacogenetic information as in the Plavix label should be present in the generic drug. While pharmacogenetic characteristics of PLAVIX have been well documented and are easily accessible, the relevant data for generic Clopidogrel is less available. In France, specifically, a recent survey carried out on the pharmacogenomic information included in the drug labels of marketed French generic Clopidogrel products found that of 21, only 5 generics provided the prescribers and patients with the applicable pharmacogenomic information