Ask the Pharmacist: Generic vs. Name Brand - July
Hide Video Transcript
Video Transcript
[MUSIC PLAYING]
The FDA regulates the same facilities where brands and generics are made, using the same tools, using the same questions that they ask. All of the different things that make sure that it is both safe and effective are then exactly the same between the two. So you can trust that a generic medication is going to work for you just as well as the brand name medication.
So when a drug manufacturer wants to bring a new medication to the market, they have a long process that's regulated by the Food and Drug Administration where they apply for a patent. It then begins all the processes of testing for safety and for effectiveness and all that kind of stuff. That's very expensive. It takes a lot of time and a lot of money. And so in exchange for that, drug manufacturers are given a period of time after the drug comes to market where they have exclusive rights to be able to produce it.
So the important things that have to be the same between a brand name and a generic medication are the active ingredient. The active ingredient has to be exactly the same chemical compound. It also has to have the same route of administration.
So is it a medication you take by mouth or something you rub on to your skin? It has to have the same dosage form. It has to be used for the same purpose.
So all of those things have to be true. And it also has to have the same level of what they call bioavailability, which means that after you take it, you have to be able to see the same effect in your body from the brand to the generic. If all of those things are true and they're all the same between the two, then it is an equivalent medication.
Generally, you should opt for the generic medication if it's available with very few exceptions. And the reason for that is they're the same. They are the same medication.
JUSTIN VESSER
A brand name medication and a generic medication are, by default, essentially the same thing. All the parts of it that give you a benefit are exactly the same. They've undergone the same testing in terms of quality control. The FDA regulates the same facilities where brands and generics are made, using the same tools, using the same questions that they ask. All of the different things that make sure that it is both safe and effective are then exactly the same between the two. So you can trust that a generic medication is going to work for you just as well as the brand name medication.
So when a drug manufacturer wants to bring a new medication to the market, they have a long process that's regulated by the Food and Drug Administration where they apply for a patent. It then begins all the processes of testing for safety and for effectiveness and all that kind of stuff. That's very expensive. It takes a lot of time and a lot of money. And so in exchange for that, drug manufacturers are given a period of time after the drug comes to market where they have exclusive rights to be able to produce it.
So the important things that have to be the same between a brand name and a generic medication are the active ingredient. The active ingredient has to be exactly the same chemical compound. It also has to have the same route of administration.
So is it a medication you take by mouth or something you rub on to your skin? It has to have the same dosage form. It has to be used for the same purpose.
So all of those things have to be true. And it also has to have the same level of what they call bioavailability, which means that after you take it, you have to be able to see the same effect in your body from the brand to the generic. If all of those things are true and they're all the same between the two, then it is an equivalent medication.
Generally, you should opt for the generic medication if it's available with very few exceptions. And the reason for that is they're the same. They are the same medication.