Assessed and Endorsed by the MedReport Medical Review Board
Introduction
The word trustworthy means something deserving of trust.
When you are buying a prescription and are faced with the question “Do you prefer buying the brand or the generic drug?” you may be unsure how to respond. Generic drugs may raise some doubts and leave you thinking that because they are cheaper, they are less effective, or not as safe. This article will provide information to help you make a trusted choice and ensure that your treatment will be safe and effective either way.
What is a generic drug?
A generic drug is like a copy of a brand-name drug. The generic medication will have the same dosage, form, safety, strength, route of administration, quality, performance characteristics, and intended use as the already-marketed brand-name medication. And so, generic drugs will have the exact same risks and benefits as brand-name drugs.
Do generic medicines work the same as brand-name medicines?
It is very important to know that both brand name and generic drugs are approved by the same responsible organizations (like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration) and must meet the exact same standards for quality. The responsible organization ensures that the generic drug contains the appropriate amount of active ingredients (the chemical compounds in the medicine that have therapeutic effects), that it is manufactured according to "Good Manufacturing Practices", and that it is bioequivalent to the brand-name drug. The generic medicine is approved if it passes the bioequivalence tests, which means it has to be proved that it works in the same way and provides the same clinical benefit as the brand-name medicine.
How can generic drugs be lower in price?
On this topic, the lower price is not related to lower quality. Generic drugs tend to cost less than brand-name drugs because they don’t require as much investigation and study.
You see, the original brand had to study various molecules until they found the one that worked best, they had to do animal studies to see if the new treatment would be safe and work on people and then they had to do complex clinical trials requiring a large number of patients. On the other side, generic drug applicants do not have to repeat animal studies and clinical trials to demonstrate safety and effectiveness. It’s like they enter the market through an abbreviated pathway and only require bioequivalence studies that can be performed with fewer people. Because they require less investment in these types of procedures, they can be sold at a lower price.
Besides that, with the entrance of generic medicines, there’s greater competition in the marketplace, which helps with affordability and access to treatments for patients.
Conclusion
Breaking the stigma of the generic versions and raising awareness of the efficacy and cost-savings of generic drugs among providers and patients is crucial.
With all this information in your hands I hope you feel more confident the next time you go get a prescription and if you choose to buy generic just know that they went through careful evaluations to deserve your trust.
References:
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
MSD Manual
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