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Branded vs Generic Medicine: Which is better?

Branded vs Generic drugs

Every medicine has its own approved generic name. If the medicine is made by several companies, each company will give the medicine a brand name. Therefore, one medicine may have a generic name and also may have multiple brand names. This can lead to confusion. So in this article, you will get to know the difference between branded vs generic drugs and help you to make the decision about which one is better.

An Overview of Generic & Brand-name Drugs

Generic Drugs

Generic drugs are a chemical copy of the original brand having the same active ingredients. They are also available at a lower price than brand-name drugs. On average the generic medications cost around 85% less than the brand-name versions of the drug.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gives exclusivity and patent protection to brand manufacturers to let them profit from their innovation for several years. Therefore, during this period no generic drugs can compete with their brand counterparts.

After the patent expires, generic drugs can enter the market with a shortened approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The generic drugs have to meet the same safety, quality, and effectiveness standards as the branded medication drugs.

Brand-name Drugs

Most medicines have one or more brand names. This depends on the company that manufactures them. The name is decided based on how memorable it is for advertising, to be easier to spell as compared to the generic name. For instance, paracetamol is a generic name, and companies that make this medication with brand names are Pandol, Calpol, and Oxycodone is a generic name that belongs to opioids drug class but is available in the market as many brand names like Roxicodone and Oxyfast, etc.

The brand name is written clearly on the packaging and the generic name would be written somewhere on the label, usually in a small print. However, some medications might only have their generic name written on the packaging.

The size, shape, color, etc., of the drug, might vary depending on the company that manufactures it. If you notice that your regular medicine has changed its color or shape, it might be possible that the pharmacist is getting it from a different company.

Difference Between Generic vs Brand Name Medication

Generic drugs have to go through strength, purity, quality, and potency to show their effectiveness before they get approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). They should have the same active ingredients and must provide the same benefits.

However, there are a few differences between branded vs generic Medicine, both the brand-name and generic drugs don’t look the same. They may slightly differ in inactive ingredients i.e., flavors, fillers, etc. These things do not affect the way the medicine works.

There is no such law that prohibits the substitution of any FDA-approved brand or generic medication drug. It’s up to the healthcare professional to decide the best medication for you. If you switch from a brand-name drug to a generic drug, you might need better monitoring to make sure that the medication drug is suitable for you.

Combination Products

Some medication drugs contain a combination of medicines. Combination products are mostly sold and marketed with a brand or trade name. The individual ingredients that are combined into one oral pill tablet or capsule will be listed in small print on the packaging.

For instance, Solpadol is a popular painkiller that consists of two generic medicines namely, paracetamol and codeine. Its generic form co-codamol can also be prescribed.

Price

Typically, generic drugs cost less than brand-name medications. The price of generic medications can be up to 85% less than that of the branded versions according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). There are several reasons for it namely.

a) Research Cost:

Brand-name medications have to go through expensive clinical and animal studies to prove their safety and efficiency. Generic drugs do not have to conduct the testing because they use the same active ingredients that branded medications carry out during the testing.

b) Competition:

When more than one company manufactures a generic version of the same drug, the competition increases. People being aware of these price differences affects the medication they choose.

A study with 278 volunteers showed that 88.8% of volunteers were aware that generic medications cost less than brand-name drugs. Out of them, 80.2% of volunteers claimed that they buy generic medications because of the cost difference.

c) Approval Standards:

These drugs are required to meet many standards as per the FDA before approval. These include:

  • The manufacturer can produce the generic drug both correctly and consistently.
  • The generic drug is pharmaceutically equivalent to the brand-name medication.
  • The right amount of active ingredient to reach the target area of the body.
  • The generic medication’s bottle, box, or any container must be packaged properly to avoid damage.
  • The active ingredients in the generic drug must be safe.
  • The generic medication does not degenerate over time.
  • The generic drug’s label is the same as the branded drug’s label.
  • The legal exclusivities or patents have expired.

Should You Take Branded or Generic Drugs?

All Food and Drug Administration (FDA) medications must meet the same quality, strength, purity, and stability requirements as their brand-name variants. During a study, it was found that branded and generic medication drugs had comparable medical results for chronic conditions.

The conditions looked at in the research were hypertension, diabetes, osteoporosis, and psychiatric conditions such as depression and anxiety. An analysis found that generic medications may not have the same impact on cardiovascular health conditions. In very rare conditions one might react to an inactive ingredient present in a generic medication.

People of low socioeconomic status have worse health outcomes as they are more likely to choose a generic drug over a branded drug. While determining the better option between these two drugs, you must consider consulting a medical healthcare professional for your specific health condition and for prescribing the medication.

Conclusion

Both branded and generic variants must prove that they are FDA-approved and are safe and effective for use. If you choose to take a branded medication over a generic one or vice-versa consult a doctor before deciding on it.

Generic medications are cheaper than branded medications in most of the cases. However, for certain health conditions, your medical healthcare professional may prefer sticking with a brand-name medication drug. We hope this article helped you to know the difference between Branded vs Generic Medicine and their composition.

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