In an open letter to the physicians of New York published in the state medical journal, Robert Abrams, Attorney General of the State of New York Department of Law, urged them to sign all prescription forms over the “substitution permissible” signature line in an effort to save patients money. In its response, the Medical Society of the State of New York, while expressing its desire to eliminate unnecessary health care costs, stressed a cautious approach and noted two measures that could, in their opinion, lead to wider use of generic drugs.

First, the physicians called for controlled and scientifically valid studies to establish conclusively that generic drug substitutes are equivalent in bioavailability and therapeutic efficacy. Until such studies are performed, physicians, the Medical Society contends, are unwilling to authorize substitutes for medications with which they are familiar.