Generic Drugs : What Everyone Should Know

View PDF | Print View | | Number of articles: 1149 | Number of authors: 314

Word Count: 213 | Total views: 45 | Submitted by: rkymills01 | 4 users online.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a generic drug is a copy that is identical to a brand-name drug in dosage, safety, strength, how it is taken, quality,performance and intended use. New drugs, like other new products, are developed under patent protection. The patent protects the investment—including research, development, marketing and promotion—by giving the company the sole right to sell the drug while the patent is in effect. When patents or other periods of exclusivity on brand-name drugs are near expiration, manufacturers can apply to the FDA to sell generic versions.

As those manufacturers don’t have the same development costs, they can sell their product at substantial discounts. Also, there is greater competition and less advertising, which keeps the price down. For example, in the 1996s, when the viagra was developed, it was only available under its brand name—Sildenafil.
Today, viagra can be found in many other erectile dysfunction treatment tablets,
including generic and store-brand versions.

“FDA-approved generic drugs are bioequivalent and therapeutically equivalent to their brand name counterparts,” says Gary Buehler, director of FDA’s Office of Generic Drugs. “People can use them with total confidence.”

Both brand-name and generic drug facilities must meet standards of good manufacturing processes. The FDA conducts about 4,500 inspections each year to ensure standards are met.

~HealthCrazed.com

Comments

Add Comment

More articles in this Category

Copy the HTML code below to put this article on your site.

HealthCrazed.com and our Authors ask that you copy the articles in their entirety, including keeping all links intact. Thank You.