We have heard about the term drugs and are very well aware of the purpose it is used for. But what does the term Generic Drug mean? Does it have the same effect as the branded drug available at the local pharmacist? If you have these questions in mind, your questions will be answered before you complete reading this article.
Definitions
A Branded Drug has a trade name and is drug manufactured by a well established pharmaceutical company, protected by a patent. It cannot be produced or sold by any other company. A brand name will be simpler than the generic name.
Generic Drugs can be defined as a substitute or a bioequivalent of a branded drug satisfying the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic standards. A generic name is the actual chemical name of the drug with respect to the chemical ingredients present within the drug.
A drug can be called generic only if it has the same chemical ingredients at same strength, safety precautions and most importantly it has to meet the same pharmacopoeial standard of preparation. If you are taking generic drugs, they are suppose to be taken in the same manner as the branded drug i.e. similar dosage, similar time duration, similar strength and similar instructions. Although instructions about taking a particular is always mentioned on the packet cover.
Why do we have different names and what purpose does it solve? Let's find out the reasons behind this naming convention with an example of a shoe manufacturing company. We all wear shoes everyday and the purpose of wearing shoes is simple to protect your feet. A shoe from a branded company (an expensive pair of shoes) will do the same job for you as would a normal cheaper brand of shoe will. But not everyone can afford expensive shoes for their day to day use, so they settle down for a normal black leather shoe. similarly, there are two kinds of drugs, a branded one and a generic one both have the same chemical composition and safety precaution but differ in price for the various research, manufacturing and marketing cost incurred on the brand name company. One more reason for this naming convention is that generic names are long and difficult to remember or pronounce. But brand names given by the manufacturing companies are catchy, single word names which are easy to remember.
Important Information
Generic drug of a particular drug cannot be produced if the patent associated with it is still active. If someone manufactures a generic drug ignoring the patent the brand company can file a lawsuit against the generic company.
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