subject: 5 Questions about Quality Generics [print this page] 5 Questions about Quality Generics 5 Questions about Quality Generics
You can save your money and still take care of your health and the health of your family. 45 % prescriptions nowadays are filled using generic drugs. Generics provide you with an option to receive high quality medications at affordable prices and with the least time spent on it.
What is a generic drug?
Generic drugs are copies of brand-name drugs in every way: strength, dose, side effects, safety, intended use and even the level of absorption into blood. Pharmacological effects of the generic drug are the same as those of their brand-name counterparts. Generic versions of brand drugs are sold only after brand manufacturer loses the patent due to its expiration.
Are generic drugs safe?
Yes. Generic drugs are 100% safe. Each generic is laboratory-tested to ensure that it has same active ingredients, safety, and blood level as the brand-name drug. All generics must pass stringent "bioequivalency" tests in humans and must meet the same standard that branded drugs do. Since 1984, no generic drug has been approved in the U.S. unless it has passed all needed tests.
Why are generic drugs cheaper?
When a brand manufacture first decides to develop a drug, he has to prepare everything for it be developed, protected and marketed in the US. This includes a market research, patent and so on. As patent expires, manufacturers apply to FDA to offer generic versions to the US market. Generic manufacturers don't have to pay for developing a drug, its patent protection, TV ads, so they can afford selling their product at reduced prices.
What is the difference between generic and brand medicine?
Generic and brand medicine has three main differences: price, packaging and manufacturer. The main difference although is the packaging the appearance of the containers as well as the shape and color of the pills. Generic drugs cannot look like brand ones due to trademark laws, so they are manufactured in a different from their counterparts color and shape.
Although brand name manufacturers make about half of generic drugs, generics, which you can find at online pharmacy stores, are mostly manufactured at Indian factories. Such Indian factories are being regularly inspected by visiting regulators from the FDA of the United States, Britain, Canada, Germany, France, Spain, and other countries. The biggest Indian manufacturers are Cipla limited, Ranbaxy India Limited, etc.
Is a generic drug as effective as its brand counterpart?
Generic drugs produce the same effects in the body as the brand-name drugs, because both contain the identical active ingredients. Generics have been shown to be as safe as brand-name drugs and work no differently in children or the elderly.
The American Medical Association, the largest organization of medical doctors, states that generic drug products are acceptable for use by the American public. Most hospitals routinely use generic drugs for treatment of their patients.
You can check the avialability of genericversion of the drug you are looking for at ConfidentPharmacy. It is recommended to discuss the choice of generic medicine with your physician, as well as the possibility to receive equivalent generic medications for your prescriptions.
