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Erica Johnson
DeBock
English 4 Honors
October 8th, 2015
Generic V.S. Name Brand Drugs
Generic drugs do not have to be FDA approved and can turn out to be dangerous or
inefficient. Generic drugs are a cheaper remake of the original name brand drug that was created
first, which means they might not always be the same and problems can occur. Generic drugs
only have to show that they are bioequivalent, same look, and pretty much same packaging.
Generic drugs can save billions of dollars in the health care industry, which is good, but they do
not always have a positive effect on the patients. Although, while generic drugs can cause major
cost savings, in the long run, they may cause medical problems or just not work and make the
person end up wasting money or spending more than intended when picking a generic type of
drug.
Generics can have harmful side effects due to the fact that they are not FDA tested first,
and the people test them. Generic drugs can be manufactured overseas, the factories there are not
watched closely, and can end up with unusual ingredients in them. Those unusual ingredients can
cause death, harmful side effects, or just inefficiency. Generic drugs are based on the chemical
structure, while brand name drug companies focus on people knowing their names and using
marketing techniques with their drugs. DXM is an example of a generic drug; it is a synthetic
substance, which can be deadly or dangerous because it has such a short history. One article

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states, Health policy recommendations by the CQC of the ACCF caution about the
consequences to patients from generic therapeutic interchange and substitution (Chressanthis).
The author of that article was trying to say that one should be cautious when switching to generic
drugs after already being on the name brand drug. Unless the doctor specifically writes a
prescription for the generic brand patient consent can be used for the patient to be able to pick
generic or name brand. Another article states, Companies merely have to show the EDA that
their drugs are bioequivalent to the brand (Chu). This means there can be many different
problems with these drugs the FDA does not find out about. Generic drugs only have to reach
relatively the same concentration level, look, and purpose. This list is usually achieved when
scientist test the generic drugs to make sure the active ingredients release themselves into the
bloodstream at the same time the branded drug does. When selecting generic drugs, information
on differences in the efficacy and quality between brand name and generic products is
necessary(Yuko). The author is saying make sure to really research the difference in the generic
and the name brand drugs to make sure it is known what is being switched to. If the name brand
drug is not available, the pharmacist will go ahead and recommend generic, due to the fact that it
is extremely easy for pharmacist to figure out a substitution drug if the name brand prescription
recommended is not available. There are even some pharmacists that will give patients generic
drugs instead of the name brand to cut down on costs, even if that is not what is asked of them.
Another example that contributes to the peoples choice in the long and on-going battle
between generic drugs and name brand drugs which is cost. Cost is a major factor when choosing
which type of drug to buy. While generic brands can be less costly, they can also be more
dangerous or less effective. Generic drugs also bring a huge cost saving to the health care world.
Some say the drive for switching to generic is largely fueled by cost. According to national

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prescription audits done by IMS Health, the use of generic drugs resulted in the estimated
savings of $156 Billion in 2009 and $239 billion in 2013 to the United States Health Care
System(Going Generic: Understanding Issues Related To Generic Medications In
Ophthalmology). Generic drugs are cheaper to manufacture and dispatch because there are less
inspections involved in the shipping and processing in the drugs, and the manufactures can use a
lesser amount of ingredients encased in the medicine, or less expensive ingredients when making
generic drugs. Generic drugs can also be less cost effective due to the fact one does not have to
see a doctor and pay for a visit to get a prescription, and can be bought over the counter right out
off of a store shelf. Generic drugs have the advantage of being less costly because the
companies/manufactures focus on the drug making and not the marketing techniques. The
marketing techniques do not matter anyways because people are not taking those drugs for the
known name, they usually take them for the cost reduction. It also cost less to the health care
industry because producing and buying generic drugs for the public use is also cheaper than the
name brand drugs bought from large scale companies. The health care drug industry has
benefited greatly from consumers switching to generic brands of drugs because this switch saves
the health care industry billions.
The public in general are better off using name brand drugs than generic drugs. Not all
the time, but in some cases generic drugs can be harmful to a persons well-being, health, or
mental state. Generic drugs can come with more side effects than the name brand, so switching
can be scary. Generic drugs do not have to be specifically tested like name brand drugs have to
be. Generic drugs only have to have the same chemical levels and relatively look the same, while
the ingredients inside can be way off from the original name brand version of that drug. While

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generic drugs do often costs much less than name brand drugs, generics are often not worth it. A
consumer may end up either end up wasting money or just having a bad experience over all.

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Works Cited
"Chapter 1: What Are Over-The-Counter Drugs?." Abusing Over-the-Counter Drugs: Illicit Uses
for Everyday Drugs. 8. n.p.: Mason Crest Publishers, 2008. Points of View Reference
Center. Web. 17 Sept. 2015.
Chressanthis, George A., Nayla G. Dahan, and Kevin J. Fandl. "The Effects of State Pharmacy
Drug Product Selection Laws On Statin Patient Generic-To-Branded Drug SwitchBacks." American Economist 60.1 (2015): 26-51. Business Source Premier. Web. 17
Sept. 2015.
Chu, Edward, and Ania Hamp. "Generic Vs. Brand Drugs Which is Better? The Cost Savings of
Generic Latanoprost May Improve Compliance, for Example, but Does the Generic
'Equivalent' Work as Well as the Brand-Name Drug?." Review of Optometry 2012: 68.
Academic OneFile. Web. 17 Sept. 2015.
"Going Generic: Understanding Issues Related To Generic Medications In Ophthalmology."
Ophthalmology Times (2015): 4. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 17 Sept. 2015.
Thakkar, Karan B, and Gauri Billa. "The Concept of: Generic Drugs and Patented Drugs VS.
Brand Name Drugs And Non-Proprietary (Generic) Name Drugs." Frontiers In
Pharmacology 4.(2013): 113. MEDLINE. Web. 17 Sept. 2015.
.Yuko, Wada, et al. "Generic Selection Criteria For Safety and Patient Benefit [IV]
Physicochemical And Pharmaceutical Properties Of Brand-Name And Generic
Ketoprofen Tapes." Drug Discoveries & Therapeutics 9.3 (2015): 229-233. Academic
Search Complete. Web. 17 Sept. 2015.