Are Generic Drugs As Good As Branded Ones?
According to FDA (U.S. Food and Drug administration), to gain FDA approval, a generic drug must: contain the same active ingredients as the brand name drug (inactive ingredients may differ), be identical in potency, dosage form and route of administration; comply with the same batch requirements for identity, potency, purity and quality; be manufactured under the same rigid standards of FDA’s good manufacturing practice regulations mandatory for branded medications. To put it differently, their pharmacological effects are identical to those of their brand name counterparts.
A lot of people express doubts about the efficacy of generic drugs, as the latter are often substantially cheaper than branded versions. They wonder if the quality and potency have been changed to make less expensive products. Generic drugs are compulsory to be as safe and efficient as branded drugs.
Actually, generic drugs are cheaper, as the producers do not have to spend money on developing and marketing of a new medication. When a company introduces a new drug to the pharmaceutical market, the business has already spent a considerable amount of money on research, development, marketing and promotion of the medication. The manufacturer that develops the drug is given a patent – an exclusive right to sell the medication as long as the patent is valid.
As the patent nears expiration, manufacturers can apply to the FDA for permission to produce and sell generic versions of the medication. Without the start up expenses on manufacturing of the drug, manufacturers can afford to produce and sell it cheaper. When several companies start producing and selling a drug, the competition among them can also result in a lower price.
The standards for all medication manufacturing facilities are the same, and a great many firms make both branded and generic medications. In fact, half of generic medication manufacture is made by branded producers.
Sometimes, generic versions of a medication have different colors, flavors, or combination of inactive ingredients in comparison to original medications. Trademark laws in the USA do not allow generic drugs to look exactly like branded drugs. Yet, active ingredients in both preparations must be the same, securing that both have the same pharmacological properties.
This article is brought to you by our contributor.
This original article is presented to you by © MyHealthToday.com
Related article(s):
- Connection Between Fertility Drugs and Thyroid Cancer One might be shocked to know that the number of patients who suffer from the ailment of thyroid cancer is increasing rapidly at present. The...
- Take Control of Your Migraine Headache Now Migraine Treatment Fortunately, managing migraines have become possible in the last decade. Although there is still no cure, medications can help reduce the frequency of...
- FDA Cracks Down on Misleading Major Food Brands’ Labels The FDA today warned 17 food makers — including POM and Nestle — that their “misleading” product labels violate federal law. The warning letters say...
- Can We Totally Rely On Sell By Date? There are various labels like ‘sell by date’, ‘guaranteed fresh’, ‘best used on or before’. They refer to the expiry date of the food products....
- What Are the Myths and Facts About Treating Chronic Pain? Many people suffer from chronic pain. But many are ignorant of the different treatments options they have to lessen or get rid of the pain....
If you enjoy this post or find this article useful, please retweet and share it with your friends and family via the various social bookmarking sites below:
Don't forget to subscribe to the RSS Feed to get the latest articles and updates. If you'd rather customize your subscription options, please visit our subscription page. Thanks again for visiting us!
Give us some love link. For your convenience, just click on the box below and press "Ctrl+C" on your keyboard to copy the code:
This is how the link will look like:
MyHealthToday.com - Better Health and Well Being. Good Nutrition and Wellness.
