This gotta be the best story of the year!In case anyone missed it here it is in its entirety...

http://www.reuters.com/article/americasR...


Vancocin was ViroPharma's best-selling drug in 2008 with sales of $232 million. Last month, ViroPharma withdrew 2009 sales guidance for Vancocin.

ViroPharma had argued to the panel that the FDA's proposed criteria for generic rivals were not rigorous enough to prove the copies would work as well as the brand-name product.

But panel members said they felt confident in the FDA's suggested test methods for generic pills with the same ingredients as Vancocin. The committee voted 16-0 to back the FDA plan for the drug, known generically as vancomycin.

Many of the outside experts said there was a public health need for cheaper versions of oral vancomycin to fight a growing number of intestinal infections with Clostridium difficile, a common and sometimes deadly cause of diarrhea.

Many hospitals and patients find brand-name Vancocin too expensive, panelists and generic drug industry representatives said. To cut costs, doctors often try an older generic drug that may not work as well, or prepare liquid formulations using a form of vancomycin meant for intravenous use.

"As a clinician, I really am in favor of moving forward on the generic for this drug," said Dr. Thomas Moore, a panelist and professor of medicine at the University of Kansas.

Given the rise in serious Clostridium difficile infections, "it seems more important than ever to increase access to oral vancomycin," Moore added.