Are generic drugs safe? This is the highly searched question regarding safety. Let’s start discussing the topic
What are Generic Drugs?
Generic drugs are drugs that have the same properties that of specific branded drugs such as their pharmacologic (ingredients), side effects, dosage, and working.
What is the difference between branded and Generic drugs?
The difference between branded and generic drugs are
| Branded Drugs | Generic Drugs | |
| 1 | Branded Drugs are made by the company which did the actual R&D of the product. | Generic Drugs are drugs that have the same properties as branded drugs such as dosage, ingredients, side effects |
| 2 | The cost is more than 100x | They are quite cheaper to buy. |
| 3 | These are often FDA-approved drugs. | While very few generic drugs are FDA Approved. |
Price is less but that doesn’t mean that the quality of the drug is compromised for Generic drugs. The quality is the same as the branded drugs
How it performs when compared with branded drugs?
The performance of generic drugs is quite similar to that of branded drugs. Its efficiency, working, effectiveness, and shelf life.
There are some new companies that are developing branded generics
There is a new trend in the pharmaceutical industry which is known as branded generics. Branded generics are the products that are made with spending little R&D on the branded drugs and are sold near the price of generic drugs.
These are readily available and manufactured by famous companies such as Mylan, Sun Pharma, and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratory selling branded-generics products.
How safe are the generic drugs
The basic principle behind generic drugs is the cheap price. These are cheap as the manufacturer has not done any R&D or marketing for the product which requires massive investment.
They are the exact copy of branded drugs having similar dosage types, the same ingredients with the same side effects, and working. The only difference is the pricing.
Therefore we can conclude that generic drugs are as safe as branded drugs.
Some of my medicines are sourced from countries like India. Are they safe?
As per the latest reports for the year 2017-18. India exported $17.3 billion worth of generic medicines in the world. They are completely safe as brand-name drugs. They have similar
- Active ingredients
- Dosage
- Pill size
- Working
- Effects
- Side effects
- Efficiency
- Performance
- Shelf life
- Effectiveness
You don’t have to worry about its safety. Usually, all the manufacturers are government approved. They have the appropriate manufacturing environment required for manufacturing.
Some of the most purchased generic drugs are
Kamagra 100 mg is the generic form of Viagra (Sildenafil Citrate) which is widely used in treating Erectile dysfunction in men.
Voritek is generic for voriconazole and has the brand name Vfend which is sold at $6.75 per pill while Vfend is sold at $40 per pill.
Fluconazole is the most sold fungal infection drug sold under the generic name Fluka, Forcan sold for less than $0.50 a tablet.
PReP drugs which are sold for thousands of dollar is available for cheap pricing with the companies such as Natco, which sells anti-cancer, PReP drugs for cheap pricing.
Are generic drugs from India safe?
Yes, these are totally safe but have the same side effects as the branded ones. What India makes a good source of medicines are major brands. India is home to the world’s biggest pharmaceutical manufacturer. Companies like
- Sun Pharma
- Ranbaxy (now Sun Pharma)
- Ajanta Pharma
- Dr. Reddy’s Laboratory
- Natco (for PReP and Cancer)
