Generics just as good

[R13]

WASHINGTON - There is no evidence that brand-name drugs given to treat heart and other cardiovascular conditions work any better than their cheaper generic counterparts, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.

The findings run counter to the perception by some doctors and patients that pricier brand-name drugs are clinically superior, said Dr. Aaron Kesselheim of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, who led the study.

Kesselheim and colleagues combined the results of 30 studies done since 1984 comparing nine sub-classes of cardiovascular drugs to generic counterparts.


The brand-name drugs did not offer any advantage for patients' clinical outcomes in those studies, they wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

"Brand-name drugs for cardiovascular disease can be as much as a few dollars a pill, whereas generic drugs might be as little as a few cents a pill," Kesselheim said.

"If a patient is prescribed a generic drug because that's what's appropriate for their condition, then they should feel confident taking that drug. And physicians themselves should also feel confident prescribing generic drugs where appropriate," Kesselheim said in a telephone interview.

He said rising costs of brand-name prescription drugs strain the budgets of patients as well as public and private health insurers. Overall U.S. prescription drug sales hit $286.5 billion in 2007.

Active ingredient is same
Pharmaceutical companies retain exclusive rights to drugs they develop for a certain number of years, after which others can sell generic versions that are chemically equivalent. The active ingredient is the same, but the color and shape may differ and they may have different inert binders and fillers.

In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration must approve a generic version of a drug before it can be sold.

Kesselheim said cardiovascular drugs to treat conditions of the heart and blood vessels are the most commonly prescribed category.

The study covered beta-blockers, diuretics, calcium-channel blockers, statins, antiplatelet agents, ACE inhibitors, alpha-blockers, anti-arrhythmic agents and warfarin.

The researchers said brand-name manufacturers have suggested generic drugs may be less effective and less safe. They also found that many editorials in medical journals questioned whether generic drugs were as good.

Generic medications represent 66 percent of the total prescriptions in the United States, but less than 15 percent of the money spent on prescription drugs, according to the Generic Pharmaceutical Association industry group.

Kathleen Jaeger, who heads the pharmaceutical group, said the research reconfirms that FDA-approved generics provide the same medicine with the same clinical effects at a substantial cost savings.


"You have patients worrying about being able to receive and afford quality health care. As everyone is grappling with how to increase access and reduce costs, we know that generics are part of the solution," she said in a telephone interview.

Ken Johnson, senior vice president of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, or PhRMA, said in a statement, "The contention that brand-name medicines drive up the cost of health care is fatally flawed.

"Without today's innovative brand-name drugs to legally copy, there would be no generic drug industry," he said.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28020739/

[plantsman]

My wife's brother worked for several years as a pharmaceutical sales rep for Pfizer. I deem the Pharm industry to be the most corrupt, illicit, advantage-taking industry in America - and that based on conversations with him and research of my own. It's a horrid, corrupt industry. The pharm companies underwrite much research in this country, and those scientists who receive their monetary doles know they must walk loudly and carry a small stick when it comes to research findings.

[UTVols2]

I always buy generic when it comes to medicine, I have never noticed a difference. As a matter of fact, I think the generics work better, that may all be in my head but that is pretty much the way I feel.

[neutral88]

The only problem is, the name brand is the company that spent the money developing the drug...The generic is some company in India just copying...

So even though I buy generics as well, they drive name brand price higher and higher, and slow research slower and slower...

[plantsman]

Pharms are like ag chemicals - they have a set patented protected time (17 years I think), then the patent is removed. At that point, anyone can start manufacturing it, and their method may be better, based on chemistry, formulation, etc. Take Roundup for example - Monsanto held the proprietary rights for years. Once their patent ran out, may new formulations entered into the market. Roundup is the trade name, glyphosate is the chemical name. Most consumers don't know to look for glyphosate under active ingredients. IMO, there are newer formulations from other companies that are more effective than Monsanto's Roundup, though the active ingredient is th same. Same with pharms. Generics can be just as effective or better.

[imported_elp6n]

If there's a generic available I always buy that instead of brand name, for OTC and prescribed both. All I want is the active ingredient, not a name.

[plantsman]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: neutral88</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The only problem is, the name brand is the company that spent the money developing the drug...The generic is some company in India just copying...

So even though I buy generics as well, they drive name brand price higher and higher, and slow research slower and slower... </div></div>

Not true. These companies will make sure they recoup their research dollars. No generic can exist as long the patent applies.

[plantsman]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: elp6n</div><div class="ubbcode-body">If there's a generic available I always buy that instead of brand name, for OTC and prescribed both. All I want is the active ingredient, not a name.
</div></div>

The a.i. is what one should look for.

[LCAS_712]

There are two Drugs I would never give to a pt. other than brand name. Insulin and TPA....

[R13]

Well I don't think there is much dispute with those, don't think you have a choice with them anyway.