Generic Prescriptions Work As Dilligently And As Effectively As Big Brand Name Drugs

Generic drugs are drugs that are made and dispensed without a patent

. The generic drugs may have a patent on the formula but not on the active ingredients. The history of generics started in the 1970s when one man, Al Williams, resigned from his job as a product label manager to start his own company under the name of Keynote Marketing.

Williams produced a number of nameless generic drugs under a simple white label. He sold these to supermarket stores in the USA. Soon after, major chain stores picked up on the idea and began selling their own 'nameless' products made by assorted manufacturers.

With regards to drugs, the main proviso is that a generic version must include the precise active ingredient as the original formula. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) insists that generics meet the bioequivalent range of the original product's pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic agents. What this simply means is that a generic must match the original in strength, efficacy, method of administration, safety, dose, and intended use.

A generic drug can only be distributed when the patent obtained for the original product has expired. When generics are available for public consumption, competition in the market leads to significantly cheaper prices for not only the generic, but for the branded product as well. In the USA, a patent usually expires after 20 years.

Thanks to generic drugs, patients and medical health insurance companies save a lot of money. As mentioned, this is a result of strong competition among the producers. It is much cheaper to make generics, therefore companies can offer inexpensive prices while still netting a profit.

The costs of generic drugs are so cheap that even third-world and developing countries are able to afford them. An example of this is Thailand. Millions of generic blood-thinning tablets were imported for just 3 USA cents each. This cost included delivery from India where the drug is made.

Generic companies are allowed to enjoy the benefits of past marketing campaigns done by the company that produced the original product. This includes drug presentations, media advertising, and the handing out of free samples. Many drugs introduced by generic companies have been available for more than a decade and are well known to patients and the medical profession.

Many people are skeptical about generic medications. Some say that generics are made in sub-standard environments, and they are inferior to the original version. Both these claims are untrue. The FDA imposes the same regulations on all drug manufacturers whether they make generics or originals.

In fact, there are a lot of drug manufacturers that produce branded drugs and generics. The FDA has estimated 50% of generic drugs are produced by branded companies. Yet another myth is that generics do not work as well. This is also untrue. The FDA stipulates that generics have to work as effectively and as quickly as branded drugs.

by: Frank Dekelli

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