Generic medicines - are they really the same?

When you go to your Terry White Chemists Berwick or your local pharmacy to get a prescription dispensed, you may be asked whether you would prefer the generic medicine. You may be someone who says yes. You may be part of the community who prefers to stick to the brand prescribed by your doctor. Or you may be in the group that doesn't really understand what generics are all about so say no, just to be safe.

Hopefully, this post will clear up some of the confusion.

Active ingredients VS brand names

Medicines are marketed under two different names - the brand name and the active ingredient name. The active ingredient name is the chemical compound that actually makes it work. For example, paracetamol is an active ingredient name, but Panadol is a brand name. In Australia (and generally around the world), the active ingredient is always known by the same name. So you could be in a pharmacy in England and ask for paracetamol and still get the same thing (although for some reason, paracetamol is known as acetaminophen in the USA!).

There may be, however, many different brand names for the same active ingredient, just like there are many different brands of milk in the supermarket fridge. Companies use different brands as part of their marketing strategy and to try and make it easier for you to remember their product. Each brand will be produced by a different company, but if you look at the packaging, they will all tell you the active ingredient and the dose or amount inside the medication.

So why are there so many different brands?

Basically, medications are invented and developed by pharmaceutical companies. They spend many years on research and development and invest literally millions of dollars to invent each new medication. Then they have to put the medicine through a stringent clinical trials process, which means giving the medicine to volunteer patients. This is not only to show that their medicine works, but also to make sure it is safe.

Pharmaceutical companies are granted a patent on new medications. This patent means that for a number of years, no other company is allowed to manufacture and sell that medication with that particular active ingredient. During this time, only the one original brand is available and this allows the pharmaceutical company to recoup back some of the money spent inventing, researching and developing the medication. This encourages pharmaceutical companies to continue to try and invent new medications.

Once the patent expires, however, other companies can develop their own version of the medication, called generics. These generic brands will have the same active ingredient as the original brand, but will be marketed under a different brand name with different packaging.

So what's the difference?

You can feel confident that if the pharmacist offers you a generic brand of medication, it will have the exact same active ingredient in the exact same dose as the original brand. So for most people, the only difference will be that you can save a few dollars at the cash register (this differs from medication to medication, but often the original brands will have a slight additional cost to them). Since the active ingredient is the same, it will work the same way in your body as the original.

Is there any reason why I shouldn't use a generic medication?
If you have any allergies or intolerances, it's important to ask your pharmacist about the inactive ingredients inside your medication. These may be things like preservatives or gluten which can differ from brand to brand, despite the active ingredient being the same.

Some people also like to stick to the same brand to avoid confusion. You don't want to accidentally take two different brands of the same medication because you didn't realise they were the same. If you do decide to use generic medications, your pharmacist can help make sure you understand about the active ingredients and also ensure that you stick to the same generic brand to make things easier.

Your doctor may also prefer that you stick to the one brand and you can ask them to discuss this with you.

Finally...
So you should rest assured that when our pharmacists at Terry White Chemists Berwick offer you a generic brand medication, it will have the same ingredient, in the same dose, and will work the same way as your original medication. Get to know your medications and the active ingredients and you may just be able to save a little money on the way. And make sure you ask your pharmacists if you have any questions related to your medicines - it's what we are there for.

References and further reading

• NPS website