This review was developed following a meeting on generic bisphosphonates organised by the European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis (ESCEO) in Paris, December 2010, the findings of which were reviewed at an ESCEO-FROMO Symposium of the IOF-ESCEO European Congress on Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis in Valencia, March 2011. The Alliance for Better Bone Health (sanofi-aventis and Warner Chilcott) provided an unrestricted educational grant to support scientific activities of ESCEO at the European Congress on Osteoporosis in Valencia in March 2011. This publication summarises the discussions of a meeting organised by ESCEO at that congress, with the topic; Generics versus branded medication in osteoporosis: The Alliance has had no editorial control over this publication.
Competing interests
JA Kanis receives consulting fees, paid advisory boards, lecture fees and/or grant support from the majority of companies concerned with skeletal metabolism.
J-Y Reginster receives consulting fees, paid advisory boards, lecture fees and/or grant support from Ebewee Pharma, Zodiac, Analis, Theramex, Nycomed, Novo-Nordisk, Bristol Myers Squibb, Merck Sharp & Dohme, IBSA, Genevrier, Novartis, Servier, Roche, GlaxoSmithKline, Teijin, Teva, Merckle, Negma, NPS, Amgen, UCB, Wyeth, Lilly and Rottapharm.
J-M Kaufman receives consulting fees, paid advisory boards, lecture fees and/or grant support from Amgen, Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Novartis, Procter & Gamble, Roche, Sanofi-Aventis, Servier and Warner Chilcott.
JD Ringe gives advice to and lectures for different pharmaceutical companies in the field of osteoporosis.
JD Adachi receives consulting fees, paid advisory boards, lecture fees or grant support from the following: Amgen, Astra Zeneca, Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Novartis, Nycomed, Pfizer, Procter & Gamble, Roche, Sanofi-Aventis, Servier, BMS and Wyeth.
M Hiligsmann receives lecture fees and/or grant support from Amgen, Servier and Novartis.
R Rizzoli receives consulting fees, paid advisory boards and/or lecture fees from most companies concerned with bone disease.
C Cooper receives consulting fees and paid advisory boards for Alliance for Better Bone Health, GlaxoSmithKline, Roche, Merck Sharp and Dohme, Lilly, Amgen, Wyeth, Novartis, Servier and Nycomed.