Generic Medicines V/S Branded Medicines: Which Are Better?

Branded medicines are the drugs sold in the name of reputed brands that are well renowned in the drug market, and own the goodwill of its consumers, shareholders, etc. Typically, it takes years of research, testing, and experimentation to come up with such kind of drugs. By the time a branded drug comes into the market, the manufacturing company has already invested heavily in its marketing, promotion, distribution, patents, etc. This is the reason why Branded medicines are expensive in nature.

Generic medicines are nothing but the copies of Branded medicines, but minus the cost of the years of research, experimentation, branding, promotion, etc. that goes into making those sorts of drugs. The companies that manufacture generic medicines usually can’t afford the developmental costs incurred by the companies in the practice of manufacturing brand name drugs. This is the reason why generic medicines are cheaper than Branded medicines.

What is the difference between the two?

Plainly said, there is no difference at all between the two, except their pricing and their appearance. In fact, the drug associations of various countries insist on making generic medicines similar to Branded medicines in their pharmacological effects, safety, directions for use, quality standards, etc. As regards the time taken by the generic medicines to take effect in one’s body is also similar to the time taken by the Branded medicines to be effective in a person.

The way that a person can tell the difference between the two is by their appearance and their pricing. The government recognized drug associations of many countries deploy certain trademark laws that prohibit generic medicines from looking the same as the Branded medicines. Also, the inactive ingredients of a generic drug, such as its dye, filler, binder, etc. can differ from those used in the making of a branded drug because of the different manufacturers, suppliers, etc. Furthermore, the cost of manufacturing Branded medicines is more than the cost of manufacturing generic medicines, which is another important difference between the two.

Are generic medicines manufactured in substandard facilities?

Well, the question is a relevant one indeed. Because generic medicines are available cheaply as compared to their branded counterparts, it is only natural to think that the former might have been manufactured in less than standard facilities, hence the inexpensive nature of their cost.

However, this doesn’t hold true, as many drug inspection agencies and regulating bodies of various nations strictly ensure that the facilities for manufacturing both the kinds of drugs remain the same. In fact, as per the results of a recent survey conducted on this topic, more than 50% of the companies manufacturing Branded medicines are into the production of generic medicines as well, so there’s no question of substandard facilities being used in the manufacture of generic medicines.

If one undertakes all the points in view, it would be just to say that generic medicines might have slightly pipped the brand name drugs. One can easily buy generic medicines online at the best price.

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John Andrew Joined: September 20th, 2020