This is what I hear all the time at the pharmacy:

 

“Are generic drugs really as good as the Brand name?”

 

Me: “Do you want the brand or the generic?”

Patient: “I want the real stuff” (meaning the brand)

 

“Why are generics so much cheaper than the brand?”

 

That brings me to why I’m here…to sort out any confusion you have about generic vs. brand-name drugs. 

 

Generic drugs have the same exact dosage form (i.e. tablet or capsule), strength, safety, quality, route of administration (i.e. by mouth), planned use, and performance characteristics (they work just as well) as the brand name they are replacing.

 

When a new drug is first made, it is protected under a legal document (called a patent) that allows only the manufacturer to have rights over this new drug.  In the drug world, this protection is good for 17 years (for most drugs).  By law, no other company can make a generic for the drug until this document expires – this is why quite a few brand name medications do not have a generic yet.

 

To make a new drug, a company has to spend A LOT of money on research, development, advertising, and promoting their product before it even gets to the market.  A generic is so much cheaper because the government allows the companies to skip some of the steps the brand name company already finished – they do not have to make the generic from scratch.  Therefore, without the start-up costs of making a drug, the companies can afford to make and sell the generic for cheaper. 

 

NOTE: Just because a generic is cheaper does not mean it was made in a facility that is dirty or has poor quality.  Most of these generics are made in the same places as brand name drugs are!

 

It is a law that the generic cannot look exactly like the brand – its color, shape, or size have to be different.

It is not true that the brand name drug works faster than its generic does – the FDA does not approve a generic unless it works just as quickly as the brand. 

 

Before the Food and Drug Administration (the FDA) approves a generic, the manufacturer is required to prove it:

 

1.     contains the same active ingredient as the brand name (the inactive ingredients can be different which may lead to different side effects compared to the brand).

 

2.     is exactly the same in strength, route of administration, and dosage form as the brand.

 

3.     is used for the same reasons.

 

4.     produces the same effect in the body, is just as safe, and works just as well as the brand.

 

5.     has the same high quality, stability, purity (not contaminated), and strength as the brand name.

 

6.     was made following the FDA’s strict manufacturing guidelines, just as the brand name was.  

 

The FDA must approve all generic drugs before they can be sold to patients!

 

With all that being said, I urge you to try the generic if there is one available – the use of generics saves millions of dollars in healthcare costs.  The millions saved can then be used in other areas of the healthcare system.

 

You know the drill, e-mail (please) at cate@getpharmacyadvice.com – I cannot wait to hear from you.  Don’t forget to add our site to your favorites so you can get here pronto!

 

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