The generic drug doxazosin is as safe and effective as the widely advertised drug Flomax for treating the symptoms of enlarged prostate, and could save consumers nearly $3,000 a year, according to Consumer Reports “Best Buy Drugs.”

Flomax was one of the 20 most commonly prescribed drugs in 2008, according to the report.  Half of all men over age 50, or about 20 million men in the U.S., have an enlarged prostate, as a normal part of aging, though not all experience bothersome symptoms.

The Best Buy Drugs report,  which rates more than 200 prescription drugs to treat more than 20 common conditions, is part of a larger initiative by the newly launched Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center to provide consumers with health ratings based on independent review of the best scientific evidence available.

“Flomax is the new ‘it’ drug and that’s a testament to the marketing muscle of Madison Avenue. It’s a great example of how costly drugs are driving up health costs when there are other drugs that are equally safe and effective, such as the $10 a month generic doxazosin,” said Dr. John Santa, director of the Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center. “This drug has been on the market for decades and its safety and efficacy profile is well established.”

Consumer Reports research shows that when prescribing medication, physicians do not routinely consider the cost of a drug and Santa urges doctors to pay attention to a drug’s cost, since part of their  oath is to be a fiduciary for the patient.

In 2008, more than $1.2 billion dollars were spent by consumers and their insurance companies on Flomax alone, an increase of 23 percent over 2007; ranking it Number 27 on the top 100 list of branded drug by retail dollars, Best Buy Drugs said.

A man’s prostate becomes larger as he ages, a condition known as benign prostatic hypertrophy, or BPH. It’s usually not a serious or life-threatening condition, but it can cause problems with urinating, primarily in men age 50 and older.

Best Buy Drugs recommends trying lifestyle changes first, which can often provide relief. Those changes include going to the bathroom when you first feel the urge, reducing or eliminating intake of alcohol and caffeine, and limiting fluid intake before bedtime. If these don’t bring relief, the next step is usually to consider medication.