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Generic Vs Brand Drugs

Generic drugs are basically pharmaceutical products that are intended to replace the innovator drugs. They are formulated without any permit or approval from the innovator drug company. Generics prescriptions are manufactured and marketed when the patent of the innovator or branded drugs expires. Unlike the branded drugs, they are distinguished with a generic or chemical name which is provided by a generic pharmacy. Having the same strength, safety, dosage, effects, route of administration, and intended use as the original preparation, they slightly differ from their brand counterparts.

Once a pharmaceutical company develops a medication and it is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the drug is granted a patent for 20 years. Which means that no other company can make it for the entire duration of the patent. After twenty years, other companies can manufacture the drug, which is its generic version. Generic drugs are also regulated by the FDA and are required to meet the same guidelines as their brand-name counterparts. Furthermore, a generic form of a brand-name drug must be the same in several respects: the active ingredients (those ingredients that are responsible for the drug's effects), the dosage amount, and the way in which it is taken. This is called bioequivalency, which means that the same amount of active ingredient(s) is/are delivered to the body by the generic medication as by the brand-name one. The FDA also requires that the generic medicine have a comparable bioavailability to that of the brand-name drug. Bioavailability is the amount of time the drug takes to be absorbed into the body under identical circumstances; manufacturers of generic drugs must show that the bioavailability of their product does not differ by any statistically significant amount (generally over 20 percent) from that of the brand-name product. You get the same amount of active ingredient, but the amount of time it takes for your body to absorb it may be slightly different, but not by enough to change the effectiveness of the drug.

The differences between a brand-name drug and its generic counterpart are in the coloring, shape, and name, which are protected for the original company even beyond the twenty years of the original patent. There may be some differences among the inactive ingredients (i.e. the 'vehicle' for the drug) from one brand to another, but those do not have any effect on the desired benefits of the medication. However, if a person has a negative reaction to a drug (brand name or generic), it may be worth talking with a health care provider and investigating a possible intolerance or allergy to one of the inactive ingredients, in addition to other possibilities.

In terms of effectiveness, there are no cons to taking a generic version of a brand-name drug: they are both the same chemically, and both are produced under the same guidelines and regulated in the same way by the FDA. There is one major benefit for you and your insurance company: generics cost less than those that carry the brand name. Brand-name drugs cost more and are protected under a twenty-year patent so that the company that originally developed them can recover those development costs. The U.S. government has determined that twenty years is enough time for the recovery of those costs and that after this period, there is no reason for the patient to be paying this extra cost.

The only catch is that the specific drug you are on may not yet have a generic version. Talk with your health care provider about your options. There may be a generic form of the birth control pill you are currently taking, or you and your provider might consider switching to a different pill with a generic version on the market in order to use your insurance's prescription coverage. You also can review your options with your insurance company. Check your insurance card for their customer service phone number and/or web site to get more information on what your options with your plan might be.

Disparity between brand drugs and generic prescriptions
If the cost factor is kept aside, generic drugs are not much different from the branded ones. A generic drug is renowned by its chemical name whereas the brand drugs receive names from their manufacturers who enjoy a sole right over their manufacturing and sale up to 20 years with the help of a patent. When the patent runs out, other manufacturers can fabricate and sell a generic alternative of the brand drug under its chemical or generic name.

Are generic prescriptions as safe and effective as brand drugs?
This is one of the common questions which hammer most consumers' mind. Yes, generic drugs are equally safe and effective as their counterparts. The U.S FDA makes every possible effort to ensure that all drugs manufacturers comply with its high standards of manufacturing. And drugs fabricators who don't meet its high production standards are debarred from all FDA privileges.

In addition, each generic drug is subjected to laboratory test to assure that the same sum of medicine will be assimilated into bloodstream when consumed.

Are all brand prescriptions available in generic form?
No, as some medicines are guarded by patents and thus can be manufactured and marketed only by a single company. But when the patents are about to expire, other manufacturers can file an application to the FDA for the fabrication of generic pills.

Does generic drug take long time to work?
No, generic pills don't take longer to function as the FDA approves only those drugs which work as quickly and efficiently as the innovator drugs.