Controversy

When it comes to controversy, it seems that money is always in the mix. Trade name drugs cost more to make than generic. The higher the percentage of generic sales equals more money that is taken away from large pharmaceutical companies that develop these drugs. The issue with some consumers is that trade name drugs can lead to higher costs of health care. One of the reasons for the incredible expense of trade name drugs is because the large pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer have to research, test and market each drug. After they receive a patent for the drug they have the only rights to market the drug for many years but once this patent expires than any drug development company can create a generic version without worrying about upfront cost because the research has already been done.  

While generic drugs are cheaper many physicians and even patients such as you and I feel that trade names drugs are superior. Some may say that a brand name drug may not necessarily be better just because it is more expensive. We know that it is more expensive because it was first to hit the market. Some doctor’s will try a brand name if a generic drug is not working effectively, there may be a slight difference in the potency of the drugs. But it is FDA regulations that states that the generic version of a trade name drug must be formulated the same.  

They must have the same:

Active ingredients

Quality

Strength

Purity

Safety

Dosage Forms (pill, liquid, shot)

  

Generic drugs cannot look like trade drugs so some of the ingredients, such as color or other inactive ingredients may be different. Overall the risk of using a generic name vs. brand name is relatively low.  

Safety wise, many health professionals will argue that generic name drugs are the best. I would have to agree with this. Trade name drugs can have several different names for one drug. This can lead to mistakes in filled prescriptions, transcription errors that can lead to medication errors and even deaths. Please watch this video on: Avoiding Medication Errors with Multiple Brand Names

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGGyHQJX5e0

As medical professions and future medical professionals it will be our job to make sure that errors like this don’t happen. I feel that this is why generic vs. trade name is a hot button issue and will probably remain that way for years to come.

Resources:

http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdoc.cfm?index=655

http://www.searchingforhelp.com.au/images/features/health/smoke/generic.jpg

 Steinman, M., Chren, M., & Landefeld, C. (2007, May). What's in a name? Use of brand versus generic drug names in United States outpatient practice. Journal Of General Internal Medicine, 22(5), 645-648. Retrieved September 23, 2009, from MEDLINE database.

Robb-Nicholson, C. (2007, January). By the way, doctor. I recently switched from Prilosec to its generic form, omeprazole. The generic form doesn't give me as much relief from heartburn as Prilosec does. Aren't generics supposed to be the same as the brand-name drugs?. Harvard Women's Health Watch, 14(5), 8-8. Retrieved September 23, 2009, from MEDLINE database.

Generic and Brand-Name Drugs.. (2009, January). CRS - Senior Health Advisor, Retrieved September 23, 2009, from Health Source - Consumer Edition database.