Guest guest Posted July 13, 2003 Report Share Posted July 13, 2003 Are Generic Drugs Really Safe? (ARA) - Has your pharmacist ever asked you about substituting a generic drug for your regular prescription? Here's what you should know before you answer that question: Pill coatings, colorings or shapes may vary, but the active ingredient in a generic drug is chemically identical to the brand-name drug -- and all generic drugs undergo rigorous testing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). When a patent expires on a brand-name drug, a generic manufacturer can apply to the FDA for permission to produce that drug. Generic drugs must meet the same stringent requirements and inspections for dosage strength, manufacturing controls and labeling, and must produce the same clinical results as the brand name medication. However, since generic manufacturers don't spend as much for research and development, clinical testing, advertising, sales or marketing, their products can be sold at lower prices -- sometimes as much as 75 percent less. Many familiar drugs, such as ibuprofen and prednisone, were once brand-name prescription drugs. " Generic formulations have a long track record and have been proven safe and effective, " said Marissa Schlaifer, R.Ph., M.S., director of Pharmacy Affairs for the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy in Alexandria, Va. " About 50 percent of all prescriptions now filled are for generic medications. " Ask your doctor if switching to a generic might be appropriate for you. Or, ask your pharmacist for more information about what generic equivalents are available for your prescriptions. Generic drugs are not only just as safe and effective as brand-name drugs, they can help improve the health of your checkbook, too. The Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy is a professional association of pharmacists who work in managed care organizations. AMCP's vision is improved quality of life through affordable and accessible medication therapy. Learn more at: http://www.amcp.org (http://www.amcp.org), or call (800) 827-2627. -=- *********************************************************************** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 16, 2003 Report Share Posted July 16, 2003 I have been a " lurker " here for a LONG time, but felt compelled to reply to this posting. I have found this information NOT to be true in all cases. I was " accidently " given a generic that looked identical to the brand name. After taking it for 2 weeks, and not getting the results that I had previously experienced, I then examined the capsule. The teeny tiny writing was different. When I contacted the pharmacist, he then told me that I had been given a generic. If the medication was the same, I would have had no reason to suspect that something was different. Later, I had a physician look up the contents of the generic versus the brand name, and he said (and I quote), " The generic doesn't have the same active ingredient in it as the brand name. In my opinion these are two different drugs " . Also, for those of you who have trouble with allergies, it is wiser to stick to the " same " medication (which is virtually impossible to do with generics) as you can have adverse reactions to the binders and inert ingredients. Just recently, my insurance company called my Dr.s office and asked if a generic could be substituted for one of my scripts. That day a sub was working the phones and " OKed " it. This a generic that I cannot tolerate, and my Dr. writes all scripts DAW (dispense as written). Now that script is no longer honored as a DAW and I have to procure a new one from my Dr. Generics may be fine for some, or even most, but I felt that this post was misleading based on personal experience. Thanks for taking the time to read my response. Sue On Sun, 13 Jul 2003 13:43:19 -0400 " luckypig " <luckypig writes: > > > > Are Generic Drugs Really Safe? > > (ARA) - Has your pharmacist ever asked you about substituting a > generic drug for your regular prescription? Here's what you should > know before you answer that question: Pill coatings, colorings or > shapes may vary, but the active ingredient in a generic drug is > chemically identical to the brand-name drug -- and all generic > drugs > undergo rigorous testing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration > (FDA). > > When a patent expires on a brand-name drug, a generic manufacturer > can > apply to the FDA for permission to produce that drug. Generic drugs > must meet the same stringent requirements and inspections for > dosage > strength, manufacturing controls and labeling, and must produce the > same clinical results as the brand name medication. > > However, since generic manufacturers don't spend as much for > research > and development, clinical testing, advertising, sales or marketing, > their products can be sold at lower prices -- sometimes as much as > 75 > percent less. Many familiar drugs, such as ibuprofen and > prednisone, > were once brand-name prescription drugs. > > " Generic formulations have a long track record and have been proven > safe and effective, " said Marissa Schlaifer, R.Ph., M.S., director > of > Pharmacy Affairs for the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy in > Alexandria, Va. " About 50 percent of all prescriptions now filled > are > for generic medications. " Ask your doctor if switching to a generic > might be appropriate for you. Or, ask your pharmacist for more > information about what generic equivalents are available for your > prescriptions. Generic drugs are not only just as safe and > effective > as brand-name drugs, they can help improve the health of your > checkbook, too. > > The Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy is a professional association > of > sts who work in managed care organizations. AMCP's vision is > improved quality of life through affordable and accessible > medication > therapy. Learn more at: http://www.amcp.org > (http://www.amcp.org), or call (800) 827-2627. > -=- ______________ The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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