Erythromycin and paracetamol were among the products with the steepest price rises in the UK in April, as the coronavirus pandemic continued to make its effects felt in the generics market.

A wave of recent biosimilar launches in the US has provided multi-source competition on several major brands and stands to boost the country’s biosimilars market, according to Sean McGowan, senior director of biosimilars at AmerisourceBergen.

Average UK trade prices for paracetamol more than trebled in March as the coronavirus outbreak took hold, while the antiviral valaciclovir saw an average increase of over 300%.

Perindopril tablets saw UK prices rise by as much as 96% in February, according to the latest information from WaveData.

The AAM has cited multiple reasons for the failure of Medicare Part D to get new generics to its patients, forcing up their costs. The association has offered a list of suggestions to “ensure that first generics are covered at launch, with lower cost-sharing.”

An AAM-sponsored study by researcher Avalere Health has concluded that Medicare Part D policy changes have led to generics being placed on non-generic tiers 53% of the time in 2020, with generics placed on the ‘preferred generic’ Tier 1 just 10% of the time.