Prozac Goes Generic

Even if you've never taken it, you've certainly heard of it. Prozac: the world's most widely used brand-name antidepressant and one of the best-selling drugs in history.

Once the sole property of Eli Lilly, 강원도 하이원 리조트 - http://cofos.fib.uns.ac.id/%eb%82%b4-%ed%8c%8c%eb%9d%bc%eb%8b%a4%ec%9d%b... the drug maker's patent has expired, and now the generic drug manufacturer Barr Laboratories is free to market a cheaper - http://www.covnews.com/archives/search/?searchthis=cheaper version named after the drug's active chemical: fluoxetine.

"We have equal quality and lower cost. Everyone benefits from that situation," says Barr Laboratories CEO Bruce Downey.

Prozac has become the stuff of legend. It was not expected to be a big seller when introduced in 1988 but as depression emerged as a household affliction, Prozac sales soared, earning Eli Lilly $2.6 billion last year.

In the process, the United States earned the dubious distinction of being called the Prozac Nation.

Prozac's prevalence is controversial. "Prozac is becoming a fixed and enduring part of our culture," says Dr. Ronald Dworkin of the Greater Baltimore Medical Center, who believes it's overprescribed. "We talk about people who take alcohol when they have troubles and we discourage that. In the same way Prozac is doing the same thing for people who are just suffering from everyday unhappiness."

But for people like Martha Hawkins, a restaurant owner in Alabama who battled depression for years and attempted suicide, the little green pill is the reason she's here today.

"It really, truly made a difference because it gave me a new lease on life. I got a second chance," she said.

A prescription for Prozac costs about $2.50 a day. The generic version costs 40% less. It means a drug some use for severe depression and others use to treat the blues will be a lot more accessible.©MMII CBS Worldwide Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed