Are Generic drugs poor quality drugs?
The role of generic medicines in reducing healthcare expenditure has been well recognised for a long time. The generic drugs are available on pharmacy nearby. One can be easily benefited by the online medicine purchase with a discount. The regulatory authorities of almost all the countries have been encouraging the use of generic drugs worldwide, and many health care systems have developed policies of substituting expensive branded original medications with generic medicines. Multiple survey reports prove that approximately 20-90% cost can be saved through the substitution of originator brands by cost-effective generic drugs.
But most of the medicine shoppe is looked at generic medicines with scepticism: Are they good in quality? Or Are generic drugs the same quality as that of generic drugs, or is it better to spend more for the name-brand version?
Let's bust this myth about the Generic drugs that they are inferior in quality!
Generic medicines work the same as branded versions
Generic medicines are created to be the same as an existing approved brand name drug. It is equivalent to brand-name medicine in terms of dosage, safety, effectiveness, strength, stability, quality, route of administration and performance characteristics. Allowable differences in size, shape, colour may occur, but it does not impact the efficacy of the drug. The regulatory authorities like US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) in America, European Medicine Agency (EMA) of Europe, Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency of Japan, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency of UK, and Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) in India ensures that:
Generic medicines use the same active ingredients as branded medicines and work the same way, so they have the same risks and benefits as the branded medicines
Generic drugs meet high standards to receive regulatory authorities approval
"A generic drug is approved only after it has met rigorous standards established by the regulatory authorities regarding identity, strength, quality, purity, and potency. The continuous quality check is kept at the active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) ensuring their safety, efficacy and high quality.
Generic drugs are bioequivalent to their brand versions
Yes, it is right the generic medicines are pharmacokinetically bioequivalent to the branded drugs. The regulatory authorities ensure that there should be no significant difference between the bioavailability of active ingredient at the same dosage. The generic versions release their active ingredients into the bloodstream at the same rate and the same extent (amount) as the branded drug.
Generic drugs and the psychology of price
Generic medicines are cost-effective than their branded versions. Studies have shown that people are reluctant to switch to a generic drug due to the belief that generic drugs are cheap and they may not be able to produce satisfactory results and may have more chances of adverse effects. The reasons for the cost-effectiveness of generic drugs are as follows:
- Research and developmental costs: The creation of new drug consumes many years with expensive clinical trials to confirm the safety and efficacy of the medicine. The pharmaceutical company has to spend millions before they can get FDA approval to market the generic drug. Generic drug manufacturers don't have to bear the research and developmental costs because the drug formula is known and clinical trials with the branded drug are already completed. They have to invest only in the production and quality control of medicines, so the generic medicines are available at a lower price.
- Competition: Competition among the generic drug producers also keep the costs down. Once generics are approved, multiple companies begin producing and selling drugs. Due to this, the competition grows, which reduces the price
- Marketing costs: Brand-name manufacturers spend loads of amount on marketing new medicines to doctors and the public. A less amount of money is spent on the marketing and advertising of generic drugs. As the branded drugs are already on the market, it also takes fewer efforts to bring generic versions of the branded medications into the notice of healthcare professionals.
Generic or Branded?
So the answer to your question, when your pharmacist or doctor offers you a generic for
m of medicine, should you take it? Now it is yes you should. The branded medications are expensive, and many people even can't afford these high-cost medicines, and that is why they may skip doses. This leads to failure of treatment and results could be fatal. Moreover, the branded drugs increase financial as well as the psychological burden on the patients. The high cost of medicines increases mortality and morbidity.
Here the generics are as a boon and useful; they are not just cost-effective, but they meet all the regulatory criteria to attain quality which is equivalent to their branded versions. Also, generic medicines are as effective as branded drugs. The pharmaceutical companies take a continuous look into the quality of generics, but the bulk of research already available has shown that generic drugs save money as well as provides you with similar effects when compared to their brand drugs.
So, switch to generic drugs, the cost-effective good quality version of the branded drugs. Don't let the price of medicines stop your fight against diseases. One can easily obtain the generic medicines produced by one of the best pharmaceutical company in Chandigarh Dr Best Pharmaceuticals Pvt. Ltd. They also provide quality online medicine with maximum discount. Their continuous humane efforts are to benefit individuals by offering online medicine offers. Huge savings of up to 80% can be availed through the Dr Best Pharmaceuticals Pvt. Ltd online pharmacy 24 hours.
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