Generic Medications – The Truth Behind The Myths

These days the subject of generic medications troubles many “anxious about our health government minds “.Generic drugs are unsafe, not helpful as brand names for your diseases , they are made in unautorised facilities ect . Is this the truth or is it just an attempt to favour some american drug manufacturers and pharmacies.

Drug products sold in the United States are approved by the FDA whether they are brand name or generic. “Most people believe that if something costs more, it has to be better quality. In the case of generic drugs, this is not true,” says Gary Buehler, Director of FDA’s Office of Generic Drugs. “The standards for quality are the same for brand name and generic products.”

Health professionals and consumers can be assured that FDA approved generic drugs have met the same rigid standards as the innovator drug. To gain FDA approval, a generic drug must:

contain the same active ingredients as the innovator drug (inactive ingredients may vary)
be identical in strength, dosage form, and route of administration
have the same use indications
be bioequivalent
meet the same batch requirements for identity, strength, purity, and quality
be manufactured under the same strict standards of FDA’s good manufacturing practice regulations required for innovator products
So we can make the conclusion that: The Generic Drug is a drug which is bioequivalent to a brand name drug with respect to pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties. Generic medicines must contain the same active ingredient at the same strength as the “innovator” brand, be bioequivalent, and are required to meet the same pharmacopoeial requirements for the preparation. By extension, therefore, generics are identical in dose, strength, route of administration, safety, efficacy, and intended use.
Thus, in some cases, the “generic” product is actually the brand product but inside a different box.

The principal reason for the reduced cost of generic medicines is that these are manufacturered by smaller pharmaceutical companies which do not invest in research and development into new drugs. The significant research and development costs incurred by the large pharmaceutical companies in bringing a new drug to the market is often cited as the reason for the high cost of new agents – they wish to recover these costs before the patent expires.Other reason for high prices is that every year pharmaceutical companies spend billions to market their products.

When a pharmaceutical company first markets a drug, it is usually under a patent that only allows the pharmaceutical company that developed the drug to sell it. This allows the company to recoup the cost of developing that particular drug. It will frequently cost millions of dollars to develop and test a new drug before it is approved for use. After the patent on a drug expires, any pharmaceutical company can manufacture and sell that drug. Since the drug has already been tested and approved, the cost of simply manufacturing the drug will be a fraction of the original cost of testing and developing that particular drug.

So despite the strict standards imposed by the FDA for approval of generic drugs, and their enforcement of these standards, a number of misconceptions about generic drugs persist that we must disprove:

MYTH: Generics take longer to act in the body.
FACT: The firm seeking to sell a generic drug must show that its drug delivers the same amount of active ingredient in the same timeframe as the original product.

MYTH: Generics are not as potent as brand-name drugs.
FACT: FDA requires generics to have the same quality, strength, purity, and stability as brand-name drugs.

MYTH: Generics are not as safe as brand-name drugs.
FACT: FDA requires that all drugs be safe and effective and that their benefits outweigh their risks. Since generics use the same active ingredients and are shown to work the same way in the body, they have the same risk-benefit profile as their brand-name counterparts.

MYTH: Brand-name drugs are made in modern manufacturing facilities, and generics are often made in substandard facilities.
FACT: FDA won’t permit drugs to be made in substandard facilities. FDA conducts about 3,500 inspections a year in all firms to ensure standards are met. Generic firms have facilities comparable to those of brand-name firms. In fact, brand-name firms account for an estimated 50 percent of generic drug production. They frequently make copies of their own or other brand-name drugs but sell them without the brand name.

MYTH: Generic drugs are likely to cause more side effects.
FACT: There is no evidence of this. FDA monitors reports of adverse drug reactions and has found no difference in the rates between generic and brand-name drugs.

And finally what we can conclude is that the only “unsafe and unhealthy” thing about generics is the financial loss for the big pharmaceutical companies that want to protect their monopol on our health,despite the necessity of some low income households for effective medical care.

We believe that it takes knowledge & understanding to make wise decisions about the prescription meds that we take. In today’s society we are bombarded with huge amounts of confusing information about our health and the prescription drugs that are available. In an effort to clear some of this confusion we strive to provide you with as much information as possible concerning your health and prescription drugs.

So if you can afford to buy brand name medications, you can help yourself visiting our site, where we hope that you will find all the drug information that you seek to get rid of your diseases.

Blood Pressure Basics

There are no hard and fast figures which represent a normal blood pressure. And very often doctors and other experts cannot even decide between them what an ideal blood pressure range is for an adult.

However it is usually agreed that somewhere between 110/70 and 125/80 is considered to be an average blood pressure for a grown person, though someone with naturally low blood pressure may be closer to a range of 100/60

A blood pressure of 140/90 is considered to be high, though as a person gets older, this falls into the more normal range for people.

Blood doesn’t circulate in an even stream around the body, but travels in a constant series of spurts. Therefore the pressure peaks in the blood vessels just after a heart beat and then ebbs until the next one. This is a continuous process.

The two blood pressure figures represent the pressures when the forces are at their peak and at their lowest ebb. The stronger the arteries are, the more they resist the force of the blood and the lower the blood pressure.

As a person gets older, and the elasticity of their arteries weakens, the figures tend to rise. However the lower figure should still be under 90 until that person at least reaches their sixties.

Many studies looking at blood pressure in both black and white people have found there is a higher prevalence of hypertension (High blood pressure) in black people than there is in white. This has led to further research in determining whether this is racially determined or just based on socioeconomic and dietary factors.

Some people suffering high blood pressure may find they just can’t pinpoint a cause for their problem. They may be fit, have a very healthy lifestyle yet their blood pressure remains consistently high for no apparent reason. This is called Primary or essential high blood pressure. However if the raised blood pressure is due to an underlying medical problem, it is known as Secondary High Blood Pressure.

Nearly one in four people in the Western world have high blood pressure. Many people don’t appreciate it is a dangerous condition that can lead to a heart attack kidney failure or stroke if it is left untreated. Yet there are thousands of people unaware they have high blood pressure who are walking around with a lethal time bomb ticking away inside them.

Generic Medicines

Generic Drugs: Generic Online Pharmacies started making a big impact on the net since the mid to late 90′s. This has allowed the prescription drug buyer to save hundreds with the click of a mouse. Generics really slash the prices on prescription drugs and medications because they do not carry brand names but they are essentially the same drug. As the cost of prescription drugs and medications continue to soar, more and more Americans are choosing Generic Pharmacies to maintain their quality of life. Buying prescription drugs and medications through Generic Pharmacies is a true alternative to paying the high medication prices that a bricks and mortar pharmacy would charge.

What are Generic Drugs? A generic pharmaceutical drug is identical to a brand name drug in safety, strength and quality. Even though generics are identical to brand name drugs, they are typically sold at substantial discounts from the branded price.Typically, savings of at 50 to 70 per cent can be saved for the average consumer It has been estimated that generic drugs save consumers an estimated $8 to $10 billion a year at retail pharmacies. Even more when hospitals use generics.

Are Generic Drugs Safe? One of the most common concerns about purchasing Generic Drugs from online pharmacies is the safety of the drugs, and the safety of the patients ordering them.In most cases, generic drugs are considered safe due to the testing process used by the Food and Drug Administration and must meet or exceed all strict quality control standards, in compliance with WHO international guidelines.

If brand-name drugs and generic drugs have the same active ingredients, why do they look different? Trademark laws do not allow a generic drug to look like the brand-name drug. However, a generic drug must duplicate the active ingredient. Colors, flavors, and certain other inactive ingredients may be different.

Does every brand-name drug have a generic counterpart? No. Brand-name drugs are generally given patent protection for 20 years from the date of submission of the patent.

Are generic drugs as strong as brand-name drugs? Yes. FDA requires generic drugs to have the same quality as brand-name drugs.

Do generic drugs take longer to work in the body? No. Generic drugs are basically the same in quality, strength, purity as brand-name drugs.

More and more people every day are taking advantage of the savings that Generic Pharmacies offer. Purchasing your prescription drugs and medications from Generic Pharmacies or internet pharmacies has never been easier.