Definition and examples
Me-too drugs are imitators of already approved and established drugs, which differ only slightly from their predecessors. Typical drug groups with many me-too drugs are the statins (e.g., pitavastatin), the ACE inhibitors (e.g., zofenopril), the sartans (e.g., azilsartan), and the SSRIs (e.g., vortioxetine). Me-too drugs are not generics, but active ingredients with a different chemical structure. It should be noted that such groups can also arise as a result of parallel drug development at different pharmaceutical companies. In this case, they are not true me-too drugs in our view. SGLT2 inhibitors are an example of this.
Advantages
Me-too drugs expand the therapeutic spectrum and may offer several pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic advantages over their precursors, for example, with respect to the following:
- Bioavailability
- Dosage interval
- Interaction potential
- Metabolism
- Adverse effects
Me-too drugs also encourage competition among companies.
Disadvantages
Me-too drugs are patent protected, meaning there are no low-cost generics available. If a drug does not offer a decisive advantage over the original, premium payers are unnecessarily burdened with additional costs. Furthermore, by developing me-too drugs, pharmaceutical companies are not investing in new and innovative agents against diseases for which no or inadequate drugs exist yet.
