{"id":909,"date":"2019-10-25T11:06:02","date_gmt":"2019-10-25T11:06:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oakbankhealth.ca\/are-my-generic-drugs-safe\/"},"modified":"2021-04-16T08:32:25","modified_gmt":"2021-04-16T08:32:25","slug":"are-my-generic-drugs-safe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ycdscc.com\/are-my-generic-drugs-safe\/","title":{"rendered":"Are my Generic Drugs Safe"},"content":{"rendered":"

You have almost certainly have taken a generic drug at some point. Most prescriptions are dispensed with generics drugs. Generic drugs work just like brand-name drugs. The biggest difference in generics is that they are considerably cheaper. However are generic drugs safe?<\/p>\r\n

How do generic drugs differ from brand-name drugs?<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Generic drugs are copies of brand-name drugs. Generic drugs contain the same active medicinal ingredient as the brand name drug, and they are considered bioequivalent. If two products are said to be\u00a0bioequivalent\u00a0it means that they would be expected to be, for all intents and purposes, the same in terms of quality, purity, efficacy and safety. Generic drugs are typically less expensive. But there are some differences between generics and brand-name drugs. A generic drug may look or taste different than the brand-name version.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

How safe are generic drugs?<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Generic drug companies have to follow rules to make sure their drugs are safe. The generic drugs have to pass the same quality checks as brand-name drugs. Any problems with a generic drug or brand-name drug will be investigated by the FDA (for U.S. drugs) or Health Canada (for Canadian drugs) to make sure it is safe.\u00a0 Studies need to be done that compare the generic drug with the brand name drug. These \u00a0are called “comparative bioavailability” studies. In these studies, the level of a active ingredient in the blood of \u00a0a healthy human is measured. Each volunteer gets the brand name drug and the comparative generic drug. The generic drug must show that it delivers the same amount (concentration) of medicinal ingredient at the same rate as the brand name drug.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Why are they so much cheaper?<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Generic drugs are cheaper because the generic manufacturer have not had the expenses of developing and marketing a new drug. Brand companies spend a fortune on research, development, marketing and advertising of the brand drug. \u00a0When the patent is close to expiration, generic manufacturers apply to the FDA for permission to make and sell generic versions of the drug. They do not have these startup costs for development of a new drug, therefore they can afford to make and sell it more cheaply. When multiple companies begin producing and selling a drug competition among them can also drive the price down even further.\u00a0 The manufactures have to meet the same quality standards in the manufacturing process as brand companies and the same rules apply.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

When should you call Your Canada Drug Store pharmacist?<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n