Generic drug or name-brand?
When retailers began offering low cost generic drugs, some saw it as a victory for the consumer. Others asked questions about the difference between the generics and the brand-name drugs.
- Are generic drugs safe?
- What is the difference in costs?
- Can I ask my doctor for a generic?
The body hunters : testing new drugs on the world's poorest patients
Sonia Shah.
New York : New Press : Distributed by W.W. Norton, 2006.
"The Body Hunters recounts the way the multinational pharmaceutical industry, in its quest to develop lucrative drugs, has begun quietly exporting its clinical research business to the developing world, where ethical oversight is minimal and desperate patients abound. Faced with crumbling facilities, minuscule budgets, and lowering health crises, developing countries often encourage these very trials, even as they cause scarce resources to be diverted from providing care toward the business of servicing drug companies." "Based on several years of original research and reporting from Africa and Asia, The Body Hunters is a damning indictment of a new realm in the exploitation of the world's poor. Tracing the checkered history of Western medical science in poor countries, it lays bare the impossible choice being faced by many patients in the developing world: be experimented upon or die for lack of medicine."--BOOK JACKET.
The guide to off-label prescription drugs : new uses for FDA-approved prescription drugs
Kevin Loughlin, medical editor-in-chief ; Joyce Generali, pharmaceutical editor-in-chief ; Amjad Almajameed ... [et al.].
New York : Free Press, 2006.
The first consumer guide of its kind, this drug reference gives patients urgently needed information about drugs prescribed for uses that are different from their labels' recommendations. of full-color photos.
Taking your medicine : a guide to medication regimens and compliance for patients and caregivers
Jack E. Fincham.
New York : Pharmaceutical Products Press, c2005.
Forgetting to take scheduled doses of prescribed medications can cost you time, money, and future health care problems. But remembering what to take-and when to take it-can be difficult when you have so many important things to deal with on an everyday basis. Taking Your Medicine: A Guide to Medication Regimens and Compliance for Patients and Caregivers is a practical guide to the process of taking medications, presenting helpful tips and simple ideas for patients, family members, and health care providers. Author Jack E. Fincham, named by Drug Topics magazine as one of the 50 most influential pharmacists in the United States, offers effective strategies that help patients help themselves by taking an active role in treatment decisions, following treatment plans, and getting involved when problems arise. Book jacket.
Pharmaceutical companies spend large amounts of money to develop and test drugs for specific medical conditions. The patent for a drug insures that the company recoups its costs. In the United States, after 20 years the drug patent expires and other companies are allowed to manufacture and sell the same drug under a generic name. Trademark laws require that there be differences between the generics and name-brands.
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Prescriptions for drugs are filled in various ways: independent pharmacies, drug store chains, discount retailers.
Some insurance companies require their members to obtain their drugs by mail through a prescription benefits management company (PBM). |
The equivalent generic drug is the same dosage, safety, strength, quality, and intended use as the original name-brand. The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) put the generics through rigorous testing to insure that the generics have the same ingredients, performance, purity, and strength, as the original drug. The flavor and certain inactive ingredients may be different.
A recent FDA program aims at increasing the number and variety of generic drugs available. It is called the Generic Initiative for Value and Efficiency (GIVE). It seeks to streamline the generic drug approval process and increase savings for consumers.
When receiving a prescription from your doctor, inquire as to whether it is for a name-brand or a generic and discuss why this is the best choice for you. Always check with your doctor before making any changes.
Article by: St. Louis Public Library staff.
