The Facts about Generics 
 

If unpatented medicines are not worse than trademark ones, why are they cheaper?

The answer is very simple: it is much cheaper to produce and sell unpatented preparations. Just the saved finance is expressed in a lower price of an unpatented product. Unlike trademark producers, producers of unpatented medicines not bear expenses for investigations and development, marketing and humming advertising companies. As for the quality, American Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) provides equivalency of unpatented products to trademark ones. Equivalency means compulsive content of identical active components of analogous effect on the body of man.  

Why not all prescribed medicines exist in a cheap generic version?

When a company develops a new medication and subjected to the necessary control of FDA – a patent for the development of this unique medicine is given for 17 years. Unpatented medicine can not be produced and sold until validity end date of the patent for the original development runs out. Some formulas are protected by patent for a longer term, because several various chemical combinations or processes are used and patented to produce a single medicine. In other cases it may seem that a medicine is but a few years on the market, while an inexpensive analogue is already accessible. Usually it happens because of a long primary examination and a testing time that requires FDA. It might have taken many years. That is why to the sales moment the term of the patent falls down to several years. 

Are unpatented medication tested as thoroughly as trademark ones?

Half-and-half. They are tested thoroughly in order to confirm that their efficiency and equivalency correspond to the FDA standards. Scientists from FDA supervise the laboratories of the companies producing type medications, in order to control the pureness of ingredients and the quality of their processing. But generics should not be subjects to compulsive clinical trials. They are liable to contain the ingredients identical to the ones contained in the time-tested patented medicines. Such a preparation should have a tag with the same information as the original preparation, including warning data on side effects.  

What one can say about the companies producing unpatented medicines? Are they as reliable as known pharmaceutics companies?

A pharmaceutical company, a developer of a known brand, after validity end date of the patent very often starts to produce its cheaper analogue. At the market there are also companies specializing in production of only unpatented preparations. It is difficult to reproduce the formulas of many medicines even if the proportions of active ingredients are already known for a long time. Actually the reason why some trademark medicines will never have cheap analogues is their too sophisticated and expensive production.  

How can one know, when it is possible to substitute a trademark medicine with an analogue?

Perhaps, you have to ask your doctor to write out a prescription, adding their equivalent analogues in it. Then a pharmacist of the nearest pharmacy, basing on the prescription may offer you the needed analogue. Health programs allow the doctors to prescribe cheaper analogues, though many doctors still prefer to use expensive original medications.  

Is there a reason to stick to the use of an original preparation, even if on the market its generic analogue is present?

Actually a generic may not be fit just for you. Remember, that the state regulates only equivalency of active ingredients, but the preparation may also contain non-active components, for instance, in order to keep a needed form or color. Suppose, that in case you have allergy for wheat and the medication contains wheat fiber for facilitating passage through digestion tract you may have some allergic reactions. In this situation if you have particular allergies you should ask you doctor or pharmacist for advice. Normally the market offers various modifications (types) of medications with different contain of non-active elements. Probably one of these types is just for you. Like in any other case, in case of your health protection you must know the facts of the state of your health, can operate with them, being the defender of your own interests.