Journal of Pharmaceutical Care & Health Systems
Open Access

Short Note on Generic Medicine

Ochieng James^{* *}Correspondence: Ochieng James, Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutic, Kisii University, School of Pharmacy, Kisumu, Kenya, Email:

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Description

A generic medicine works in the same way as a brand-name medicine

Generic drugs that have been approved by the FDA work in the same way as their brand-name counterparts and have the same clinical benefits and hazards. A generic medicine must have the same dosage, safety, effectiveness, strength, stability, and quality as a brand-name medicine, as well as the same delivery method. Generic medicines offer with the same risks and advantages as brand-name drugs.

Generic medications have the same active components as brandname drugs and have the same strength. The pharmaceutical business that finds and markets a novel drug acquires a patent on it when it is first developed. The patent normally lasts for 20 years to allow the original company to recoup its research costs. A generic version of the medicine may become accessible when the patent expires. Generics are sold under the drug's chemical name, or "generic," and must fulfil the same FDA quality and efficacy standards as the brand-name version.

Generic drugs: Are they safe?

Many people are concerned about generic medicine quality. To ensure quality, safety, and efficacy, the FDA conducts a thorough examination of all generic pharmaceuticals, including a review of scientific data on the generic drug's ingredients and performance. Furthermore, the FDA mandates that a generic medication manufacturing plant satisfy the same high requirements as a brand-name drug manufacturing unit. The FDA performs roughly 3,500 on-site inspections each year to ensure compliance with this rule.

Patent protection for brand-name drugs is normally granted for 20 years from the date the patent application was filed in the United States. This shields the pharmaceutical corporation from liability for the new drug's research, development, and marketing costs. The patent prevents any other business from producing and selling the medicine. When the patent expires, however, other pharmaceutical companies can begin manufacturing and selling the generic version of the drug after receiving FDA approval.

In the United States, some brand-name manufacturers charge customers more prices than in other countries where prescription prices are regulated. Drug research is expensive, and brand-name firms have at least 20 years to recoup those expenses, whereas generic producers do not have. Manufacturers of brand-name medications spend billions of dollars promoting new drugs to doctors and the general public; they send representatives to doctors' offices to speak with them; and they pay for physicians' travel to meetings and conferences to talk about their drugs with other doctors. Generic drugmakers rarely invest on advertising and marketing, which is another method they keep costs down.

"Generics are generally safe, slightly less expensive, and mostly as effective as brand-name pharmaceuticals," says John Meigs, MD, a spokesman for the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Generic pharmaceuticals have the same active ingredients as brand-name prescriptions, whether they're over-the-counter (for example, a store brand of ibuprofen vs. Advil) or a prescription from a doctor. However, they are frequently far less expensive. According to the FDA, brand-name drugs are about five times more expensive than generic counterparts.

Tod Cooperman, president of ConsumerLab.com, an independent laboratory that examines vitamins, pharmaceuticals, and health products, argues that a brand-name drug that could cost well over $100 as a generic could cost as little as $5.

But there's a catch, according to Cooperman: "They're not always identical to the brand-name medication." That's one of the things you'll have to think about while determining whether or not to go ahead with it.