Generic As Effective As Brand-Name
Posted on: Wednesday, 3 December 2008, 12:40 CST
It was announced on Tuesday that there is no evidence that brand-name drugs given to care for heart and other cardiovascular situations work any more effectively than their less expensive generic equivalents.
The data opposes the opinions of several doctors and patients that more expensive brand-name drugs are clinically more advanced, stated Dr. Aaron Kesselheim of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, who was the leader of the study.
Kesselheim and colleagues studied 30 studies completed since 1984 to compare nine sub-classes of cardiovascular drugs to their generic equivalents.
The brand-name drugs produced zero benefits for patients' clinical results in the studies conducted, they announced 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 added.
He notes that the increasing prices of brand-name prescription drugs hurt the meager budgets of patients in addition to public and private health insurers. In general, U.S. prescription drug sales were $286.5 billion in sales during 2007.
Pharmaceutical companies keep restricted rights to drugs for a specific number of years, after which others may vend generic adaptations that are chemically the same thing. The active elements are exactly the same, but the color and form can change and will differ in binders and fillers.
In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration has to endorse a generic version of a drug before it can be put on the market.
Kesselheim stated cardiovascular drugs to care for heart problems and blood vessels are two of the most normally prescribed kind.
The studies cover beta-blockers, diuretics, calcium-channel blockers, statins, antiplatelet agents, ACE inhibitors, alpha-blockers, anti-arrhythmic agents and warfarin.
The researchers added that brand-name manufacturers have implied generic versions do not work as well and are not as safe. They also noted that several editorials in medical journals queried whether generic drugs are just as effective.
Generic medications signify 66 percent of the total prescriptions written in the United States, but are less than 15 percent of the money is used on prescription drugs, as stated by the Generic Pharmaceutical Association industry group.
Kathleen Jaeger, who leads the pharmaceutical group, said the research affirms that FDA-approved generics provide the same medicine with the exact same clinical consequences at considerable 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.
Ken Johnson, senior vice president of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, or PhRMA, announced 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 added.
---
On the Net:
- Brigham and Women's Hospital
- Harvard Medical School
- Journal of the American Medical Association
- FDA
- Generic Pharmaceutical Association
- Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America
Source: redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports
Related Articles
- Insure.com Announces $16 Million Asset Sale, Continuation of Business Under Life Quotes Brand Name
- Prices Still Increasing for Brand-Name Drugs
- Study: Brand-Name Drugs Fuel Cost Increase
- Brand Name Drug Prices Up Nearly 4 Pct.
- Brand-name prescription drug prices rise: AARP
- Brand Name drug Prices Up, Generics Level: AARP
- Brand-Name Drug Prices Continue to Soar: Report
- San Antonio Clinic Will Run Tests on Generic, Brand-Name Drugs
- Brand-Name Drug Prices Rise Faster
 |
 |
User Comments (7)
| 7. |
Posted by lindsey on 12/04/2008, 14:57 I think majority of generic critics believe new test need to be created and performed to answer the question (are generics equal to name brand?). This doctor simply studied test already done. |
| 6. |
Posted by Jodi on 12/03/2008, 15:30 I disagree with this article. My daugher was on medication. When she first started taking it there was no generic for the particular drug. A year or so later there was and that is all my insurance company would cover. So we switched to the generic and she broke out in hives. After some research online and talking to some different pharmacies we found that all generic prescriptions have different fillers in them. Depending on the fillers you may or may not have a reaction. |
| 5. |
Posted by Bob Smith on 12/03/2008, 15:25 If the generics are FDA approved that proves they aren\'t contaminated with any harmful chemicals. All substances that were contaminated with melamine did not get inspected. As long as the active ingredients are the same, there really is no reason to purchase brand-name products over generics for medication. |
| 4. |
Posted by Sally on 12/03/2008, 15:05 What is the country of origin of generic drugs? Since they are so much cheaper, I am assuming they are produced in China. And I can just imagine the "binders and fillers" that the fly-by-night Chinese "laboratories" are putting into these pills. When the director of the French equivalent of our FDA went to China, he returned to France to report on his inspections of Chinese pharmaceutical manufacturers. He had two words: "It's terrifying". I think I'll continue to make my husband buy brand-name heart drugs - even if the pressure to buy generics grows ever more intense (they even broadcast it over the loudspeaker at Walgreen's while your are in the store to "buy GENERICS". ) No thanks - I've had enough of melamine. And I am DONE with China. |
| 3. |
Posted by Bobcat on 12/03/2008, 15:05 I totally disagree - when generic formulations are created they may very well have the same active ingredient, but who is the supplier of the active ingredient and where do they get their ingredients from? You can go to the store and buy a hot dog right? Look at all the different types of hot dogs. They are all made from meat, right? Where did the meat come from? Was it an old animal, or a young animal? An old man told me something that I will never forget - "You get what you pay for". Generics are cheaper for a reason. Do you understand? |
| 2. |
Posted by student on 12/03/2008, 14:32 This is a ridiculously obvious article that gives no insight to what should have already been common knowledge. What a waste of time. |
| 1. |
Posted by Mal on 12/03/2008, 14:24 "Without today's innovative brand-name drugs to legally copy, there would be no generic drug industry," he added. So without the pioneering slave owners, there wouldn't be a FuBu market |
RSS Feeds