Generic vs. Brand Name Drugs: 'More Expensive' Doesn't Mean 'Better'.

One of the most common misperceptions in healthcare is the widespread belief that generic drugs are somehow inferior in quality to recognizable brand name pharmaceuticals. In fact, nothing could be farther from the truth. Every drug sold in the U.S. has a generic name and every drug with the same genetic name has an identical chemical structure. A "brand" label is nothing more than the unique product name given to a specific generic drug by its manufacturer.

For example, acetaminophen is the generic name for the drug commonly known as Tylenol. Many manufacturers may make acetaminophen, but there is only one product named Tylenol. This is because each medication, when first released, is granted a patent. When the life of the patent expires, so does the original company's right of exclusivity. At that point, many companies may manufacture the drug and it is said to be available as a generic.

Although increased availability from multiple resources results in market competition, which drives the cost per dose downward, each generic medication must conform to the same exacting standards as the name brand. (Federal standards are set by the United States Pharmacopea or USP; the FDA grants individual companies the right to manufacture a drug.)

These standards or guidelines require each manufacturer to prepare the medication in the same way, so that every pill, capsule, or liquid contains the exact same drugs and composition as any other generic medication of the same name. They conform to an identical chemical structure. By law, the "recipe" is uniform. Thus, the vast majority of medications available in generic form can be taken without concern over the equivalence of the medication to a brand-named product of the same generic name. For all intents and purposes, the two are the same drug.

So why does the skepticism about generic equivalents persist? According to Dan Kudo, Director of Pharmacy for Pomona-Based non-profit HMO Inter Valley Health Plan, "many people have had less than satisfactory experiences when dealing with brand x of a given consumer product such as a detergent or toy. Perhaps the product didn't perform to expectation. It wasn't a known commodity, wasn't back by a well-known, trusted company, so there was a general feeling that quality and reliability were lacking, that this was a substitute for or imitation of the real thing. However, this is absolutely not the case with generic drugs."

Every drug given access to the American market, Kudo points out, is subject to rigorous regulation and has to meet the same strict, exacting Federal standards, whether they are generics or name brands. "In fact," he says, "when it comes to buying generic drugs, it is a win-win situation for the consumers: they receive the same high quality they expect from trade names but, thanks to a free-market economy, at a more manageable cost for them and their health care provider. They get the benefits of competitive pricing without any compromise in the product's excellence."

There are a few medications which are exceptions to this general rule, but for the vast majority of brand name medications, there exists a generic equivalent which is equally as effective. To obtain more complete information or get answers to questions related to specific generic equivalencies, Kudo recommends consulting your local community pharmacist.