Doctors in the US are reimbursed by Medicare/Medicaid and private insurances based on the rates of generics they prescribe. They look at each type of doc (Onco

Doctors in the US are reimbursed by Medicare/Medicaid and private insurances based on the rates of generics they prescribe. They look at each type of doc (Oncologists obviously use more Brand Name drugs than pediatricians) and make sure that every doctor falls in a tight band with incentives to 'beat' the number. Most hospitals have specific formularies tilted toward generics as well, if a doctor writes "Tylenol" for a patient, they're given generic acetaminophen. More interesting is that if a doctor writes a script for something like a Brand Name statin, the formulary will auto-substitute for the hospital's drug of choice, now typically generic Lipitor.