What are Generic Drugs?

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By Disabled World - 2007-07-18
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Definition of Generic Drugs:

When a drug company first invents a drug that company is the only one allowed to make that drug in the same country for a certain number of years.

After this time period, other companies are allowed to make the same drug. These drugs are called generic drugs. The original drug (e.g. Viagra) is called a brand name drug.

Are generic drugs the same as name brand drugs?

Brand name drugs and their generics are IDENTICAL in terms of active ingredients. The generic pills may look different (because they are made by a different company) but inside is exactly the same active ingredient, which works in exactly the same way.

The only difference between brand name drugs and generic drugs is that generics are always much less expensive. Savings of up to 80% can be made by purchasing generic drugs instead of namebrand medication.

All pharmaceuticals are simple recipes of common chemical raw ingredients.

Making an exact copy of a pharmaceutical is quite simple. Generics do not look the same as the brand name products, even though they have the same active ingredient and work in exactly the same way. In addition, the same brand name pill may look different if manufacturer in a different country. For example, Celexa 20MG is a peach colored pill in the US, yet the Canadian pill is white and a little bit smaller than the US pill. Both pills are Celexa 20MG, both have the same active ingredient, and both are made by the same company. But, for whatever reason, the manufacturer decided to make the Canadian drugs a different color.

 When comparing 2 different Generics, they will look different if they are made by 2 different companies.

Are the Generic Drugs safe?
Generic drugs are just as safe and effective as their brand-name counterparts. These are the very companies that manufacture and export in bulk the drug that goes in to the making of the world's best-selling brands in US and Europe.

Generic drugs are held to the same rigid standards as the brand name drug, as dictated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 45% of U.S. prescriptions today are filled with generic drugs.