Health & Fitness Tools

Are Generic Drugs Best Suited For My Family?

23rd April, 2010 - Posted by health news - No Comments

You may have been asked when you have gone to the pharmacy to fill a prescription if you would like to try the generic version of the drug. Some people are unsure about what it is that generic drugs are exactly. If you take medications regularly, then you should know about these types of drugs in order to decide whether or not to use them.

There are new medications that are being constantly researched and developed by pharmaceutical companies. When they have come up with a new medicine that they want to release, they have to patent it and have it approved for use by the FDA. Having a patent stops other companies from developing the same medications and protects the original company’s significant financial investment.

When the patent on the medication is nearing expiration, other pharmaceutical manufacturers can apply to the Food and Drug Administration for permission to manufacture generic versions of the medication. These are chemically the same and include all of the same active ingredients and strengths as the brand name drug. However, since the companies have not had to pay for expensive research and development on the medication, they can be sold more cheaply.

There are a few reasons the costs are lower on generic medications. The first is that developing medications is expensive and the company has to recoup the costs they incurred in creating the medicine. Next there are usually high marketing and advertising costs that are associated with a new medication. Advertising is done to the public, as well as to health professionals such as doctors and pharmacists. There are medical representatives who are sent to visit them and leave samples and merchandising materials.

Some people believe that because the generic is cheaper to buy the quality must be lower. This is not the case at all.  The company cannot make the generic without having the approval of the FDA. To get this they have to go through an involved process that shows they meet the manufacturing requirements.

Other misconceptions that some people have about generics are that they take a longer time to be absorbed by the body or that they are not as strong. This is not right as the generics work in the same way as the brand and are structurally the same medication. Some people also believe that the pills must be manufactured to lower standards, but this is also an incorrect idea.

Although the generic and the brand medications are chemically the same, they may look different. The laws relating to generics do not allow the drugs to look identical to each other. For this reason you might find they are different colors or shapes than the original medication.

There are many generic drugs that are available on prescription and they will save you money on the cost of your medicines. If you want to try generic drugs, then you could talk to your chemist about them when you visit the drug store next time. Alternatively you can talk to your doctor about them and make a decision from there.