The most commonly prescribed drug in Nova Scotia will soon be 50 per cent cheaper when a generic version of Lipitor becomes available in a month.

Tens of thousands of Nova Scotians take Lipitor to lower their blood cholesterol and to prevent strokes. They spend about $14 million per year on the drug.

Next month when Lipitor's patent expires, the same drug will be available through other manufacturers.

Judy McPhee, director of pharmaceutical services in the Department of Health, said Monday that pharmacists will be instructed to substitute the generic drug for the brand name version.

"It has been deemed interchangeable. So, once that recommendation is implemented in the next three to four weeks, people that have a prescription for Lipitor can get the generic atorvastatin," she said.

"Somebody on a 20-milligram dose per day would get a $400 saving annually."

That saving would occur if people pay cash or are billed through a private insurance plan like Blue Cross.

$5.2M saving expected

McPhee said the provincial government expects to save $5.2 million by substituting the generic drug. Those savings will be used to help cushion its drug bill for people who are poor or elderly.

"The lower cost to government due to Lipitor coming off patent, what it does is help us slow the growth of drug costs. We do anticipate the cost of drugs through the Pharmacare program to cost $10 million more this year," she said.

Hugh Paton, executive director for the Health Plan Payers Association, said he hopes the move will lead to lower drug costs.

But he's worried companies may pressure doctors to switch to something else.

"We have to be extremely vigilant in order to take advantage of those cost savings. This is a big, big deal that Lipitor— the biggest blockbuster drug in recent history is going generic. But the wrinkle is that doctors stop prescribing it," Paton said.

"I'm going to say that because the evidence is strongly in my favour that in every other drug that has gone off patent, the number of prescriptions written and filled for those off-patent drugs has declined dramatically because the manufacturers of other brand name drugs will start promoting their products for cholesterol lowering more aggressively."

Use savings for Lucentis: McNeil

Liberal Leader Stephen McNeil supports the province's decision to substitute the generic drug for Lipitor, but urges the government to use the saving to fund the purchase of Lucentis, a drug that helps prevent vision loss.

"We believe the money that they're saving by allowing this Lipitor to come off the formulary should be reinvested back into Nova Scotians and they should be covering the drug Lucentis which every other Canadian has access to but someone living in Nova Scotia," he said.

"This is a no-brainer, in my view. It maintains and restores the eyesight and in the long run saves the Nova Scotia taxpayers money by providing quality health care to those Nova Scotians who need it."

In May, Health Minister Maureen MacDonald said the province cannot afford to pay for Lucentis, a drug injected to combat macular degeneration.

It is estimated that funding Lucentis would cost the province $4.5 million in the first year. That cost would rise to $10 million in the third year of its inclusion in the formulary.