An important question you are probably asking is “Why would somebody educate themselves about generic drugs versus brand name drugs?” Surely your doctor will make the right choice for you. Your insurance company will also make the right choice for you too. So let’s just leave this to the professionals. Not so fast. Doctor’s are inundated with pharmaceutical sales representatives. My roommate recently had a doctor’s appointment and guess who was also waiting in the lobby to speak with the doctor? If you guessed a sales representative you would be correct! Drug companies are not only in the business of saving lives, but also in making money. They use some of this money to continue to research other drugs. According to the National Institute for Health Care Management “the brand name industry spent approximately $23 billion in 2001 promoting and marketing prescription drugs to doctors and consumers”. If the doctors aren’t prescribing their drugs they aren’t making any money. Your doctor’s first priority isn’t in saving you money on your prescriptions. So as a consumer you may have to ask your doctor if there is a generic alternative. But if you forget to discuss this with your doctor, talk to your pharmacist. Most states allow pharmacists to substitute generic drugs. As for insurance companies, they are interested in saving themselves money. However not all insurance companies require a generic drug when available. So you can’t rely solely on them to save you money. On this site there is a calculator that could show you the amount of savings possible.
You also should educate yourself because there are a lot of drugs commercials. I mentioned earlier the advertising spent in 2001. However drug companies continue to reformulate their drugs to basically extend their patents. So as a consumer you need to know this. Your doctor may prescribe you the new time released alternative that does not have a generic equivalent yet. This might be the right choice for your condition but knowing that there might be options you must be willing to discuss with your doctor all your concerns. If that fails ask your nurse to speak to your doctor. We are there to ensure that you are receiving the care you need.
Now you may not need to save money. You may prefer to have the brand name drugs. That is perfectly acceptable. Not everyone needs to take only the generic drugs. Drug companies need to sell the brand names in order to keep funding research of new drugs. People will also pay more for the perception of higher quality. And sometimes that perception is correct. The FDA does regulate the generic drug industry; however, many generic drugs are manufactured overseas. Sometimes these companies take short cuts. Unfortunately the FDA can’t always prevent these occurrences before they happen. According to an article in the Washington Post India and China produce the majority of generic drugs. They quote William Hubbard, a former FDA associate commissioner, as saying, “this is very serious stuff, because a contaminated drug hitting the market could cause lots of injuries or worse before it got tracked down." He also discusses the lack of quality inspections. As a consumer or nurse it is critically important to stay abreast of this issue. Nurses should be aware of these developments as they occur. Patients look to their health care providers for guidance. As a nurse you are a crucial line of defense to ensure that patient care isn’t compromised.
There are constantly stories in the news about generic drugs. The FDA has a tremendous amount of information on its website as well. I can also guarantee that your insurance company also has information about generic drugs. Especially if you are currently taking any medications you should check out these resources. But don’t only look at that side of the argument, make an informed decision. Also check out the pharmaceutical companies websites. And finally talk to your doctor to find out if generics are right for you.
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The savings calculator is genius! I have been taking coumadin for over a year now. The calculator says I can take the trade drug warafin and save myself almost $50 a month. I plan on calling my doc and switching my prescription. Thank you for providing that link!
ReplyDeleteAs a customer I akways go to walmart becasue they have the cheap medicines. I try to save alot of money because medicines are so expensive. Doctors and nurses should tell their customers thare are cheaper drugs.
ReplyDeleteI prefer to buy the brand name drugs. I find your blog and arguments compelling, but I feel that I can afford the brand names so why not get them. These companies spent alot of money researching and discovering these medicines and I trust them more than overseas generics. Thanks for the info though it actually did get me to think for a little!
ReplyDeleteEva,
ReplyDeleteI am sure the pharmaceutical companies truly appreciate your loyalty. It will help them recoup costs which helps to continue the process of developing new drugs.