VS Generics
Originals
VS Generics
Defined as a substitute for branded medicine , generics have been around for over half a century . However , some still perceive them as ineffective and inferior . But is this all true ?
Many patients in South Africa are unreasonably suspicious of what is , in essence , a “ carbon copy ” of the original brand of drug or medicine . This lack of understanding costs consumers and medical aids millions of rands each year .
What is a generic drug ?
Copies of brand-name drugs that have exactly the same dosage , intended use , effects , side effects , route of administration , risks , safety and strength as the original drug .
“ In other words ”, says Dr Carla von Benecke , a Senior Clinical Risk Manager at Bonitas , “ their pharmacological effects are exactly the same as those of their brandname counterparts . In more scientific terms , they are defined as a bioequivalent of a branded medicine with respect to pharmacokinetic ( the movement of the drug in the body ) and pharmacodynamics ( the effect and mechanism of the drug ).”
But generics are much , much cheaper ...
Von Benecke explains , “ Pharmaceutical companies are researching and testing new active ingredients and medicines all the time . As they start working on a new molecule , they patent it to get exclusivity on its use . The patent is valid for about 20 years , which means that company alone may research , create a new formulation ( the ‘ recipe ’ and process for creating the actual medicine ) and register the medicine . This understandably takes years and is a huge financial burden on the company . After about 8 to 10 years on the market , the patent usually expires and other drug companies can copy exactly the same drug without the initial clinical research costs .”
Page 15 B-Living Issue 1 , 2017