Brand vs. Generic

In the pharmaceutical industry there are two main kind of medications, Brand vr. Generic Drugs, the ones distributed by a pharmaceutical enterprise that previously signed them by an specific brand name, and the generic medications, which are those that, even if they share the same active substances, aren’t registered under the same brand name and are usually cheaper and more accessible than the normal brand medications. So, at this time, the only difference exposed between Brand vr. Generic Drugs resides in the patent protection that each of them has. Generic medications do not count with patent protection, this means that they are distributed without it, however, this doesn’t mean that they don’t have the proper backup from their pharmaceutical company.

However, more than chemical differences, Brand vr. Generic Drugs do have differences. The most significant and important for the success of generic medications, is the price. Generic medications always are cheaper than brand medications, even if they start with almost the same price, thanks to the acceptance and the increasing of production, their prices tend to lower after a few months, keeping them like that. This is a huge advantage, considering that a very piece of the population need drugs for every day treatments, and a variation in the price, even a small one, could make a really big difference in their economy and life style.

You can use simple keys that are mandatory when a medication is Brand vr. Generic Drugs, the first of it is that they need to prove the bioequivalence to the original product, and this may take several years of experimentation to show that they have not only the same effectiveness but also that they are as safe as brand name drugs. The biggest advantage of medications becoming generic is that they are less expensive than brand name drugs, saving a lot of money to costumers and insurance companies. For a Brand vr. Generic Drugs pill to be approved and sell by any pharmaceutical company, first have to be approved by ANDA an application of the US government, that verifies its safety and efficacy.

Both, Brand vr. Generic Drugs are effective for your health and will certainly help you to improve your condition, however, the main difference exposed before, should make you take a better decision when buying drugs again, not because your help, but because the money you can save taking the right choice.