A new medicine goes thru vigorous hoops and bounds, and many trials and test with people, healthy or not, before FDA in the USA allows it to be sold. They grant the drug company exclusive trademarks for years, to help recoup the cost on research, development, three phases of testing, before it gets a approval to go to market, usually at a high price.
When the trademark runs out, and the manufacturer has made their billions, the drug is opened to the Generic Market. I believe there is still a year given to the trade name of the original drug.
A Generic, only has to have 75% of the main ingredient that makes the medicine work. They may change a molecule here and there, put different fillers in, and try to make it like the real drug, but add their own twists. Even rules apply that they must act the same, absorb the same, and be like the real drug.
Think of chocolate chip cookies. Many recipes to make home made ones. store bought are not as good as homemade, even if they follow same recipe, perhaps flour is different, or chocolate chips are different. But they are all called a chocolate chip cookie.
I have experienced many times, being sensitive to how the name brand drug works, and those of Generic type. Some generics work just fine, but in comparison to the real drug, there may be a difference.
Take Cymbalta, brand name for instance. It's ingredient is Duloxetine.
When the generics came out, the insurance companies played Doctor. Many generic companies came up. Each company made their Duloxetine different. Even Cymbalta, came out with their own Duloxetine, which was identical to Cymbalta.
But Problems arose with me. It takes about two weeks with Duloxetine, and then you know something is off. Is it the absorption rate of the generic?, Or another slight change to the formula, or that it's not quite as strong?
I used three or four Duloxetine manufactures, recording side effects, how long they lasted, when they started. I reported them to my pharmacy, my Doctor, The company, and finally to the FDA, that runs a site for just this. They need enough people to complain, until they will do something, as they do not check each manufacturer, or facility. FDA adverse-reactions
But each of these changes took time, for my body to adjust, or not to.
A Generic brand was finally found that kinda worked, but Cymbalta worked better. The company recently pulled their product, and re-manufactured it with less ingredients. I could tell immediately, that it was only working for 18 hours, not 24 hours.
I asked my Dr for a increase in dosage to make up for that, but my insurance company, re-wrote the script, and showed I wanted a six month supply, and denied a prescription. My Dr wrote it asked 60 grams to increase to 90 grams, then calculate for 90 day mail order supply.
But insurance company re-wrote it as 60 grams for six months, as their quantity limits, and regulations, Then denied it.
on another generic, the pills were chalky, disintegrating as pharmacist counted them out, and again leaving a chalky mess, when I would sort the pills. A common medicine, Gabbapentin. It should of been the manufacture in India, that knew of the problem, but shipped it out anyways.
It should of been the pharmacist From a large drug chain seeing a problem, as many patients using this, and many pharmacist ending up counting this chalky mess.
But ended up with me, the consumer, who gagged on these chalky pills, letting pharmacist know. It took me to call the U.S. Importer. He did not have any of the pills. Then for him to call India and obtain some pills, to see the problem I was talking about. The India Manufacturer knew of the problem, just not how to correct manufacturing issue. They were quite apologizing, but nobody questioned, until I did.
I was switched to another coated generic, that has worked since.
another example, is when you are slammed into a generic. The Pharmacy can make more money, so they switch you from drug A, to a generic, without you or your Dr's permission.
This has happened a few times, which takes hours with customer care agents on the phone, stating my Dr made the switch.
Even if you have prior authorization for the year on file, they "forget", making your Dr write a new prescription "Dispense as Written", Name Brand Only. Some days I am on the phone for hours, along with the Doctors, as they make it vague of what they need.
Back to Generic Medicines. Most seem safe, but realize that the generic is different, and has not needed to go under vigorous trials like the original. It is a recipe, like the chocolate chip cookie, being varied, fewer chips, different chocolate chips, as those have generics types.
Would love feedback of your experience good or bad with different name brand medicines, or their counterparts of many companies making them Generic.
Lyrica (pre-gabalin) just went generic, now eight companies making their own versions.
Thank you for reading and commenting
JoeY
