It is normal that at some point you have found yourself in the dilemma of deciding between buying generic drugs or a commercial one. It is a fairly common situation in all countries, since the true meaning, advantages and effectiveness of generic drugs are unknown.
A drug considered generic is one that is created based on the brand name, that is, its dose, strength, way of administration, marketing and safety is bioequivalent, so that both drugs work in the same way and offer the same benefits clinically.
These generic drugs are offered on the market once the patent for brand name drugs has expired and has been exploited by a single laboratory for about 15 years, they are easy to recognize because their packaging and design becomes simpler, in addition that acquire the active principle as a commercial name, that is, if the drug contains Omeprazole, the generic name will be accompanied by the acronym EFG (Generic Pharmaceutical Equivalent).
Are they just as effective?
All drugs are authorized by a drug and health products agency and go through a series of controls in order to guarantee the quality of the products, so generic drugs must go through endless bioquivalent tests to ensure that the drug it has the same effectiveness, quality and safety as the brand name drug.
Although there is a slight natural variability between the manufacture of a generic drug from one laboratory to another, this is not medically important, since exactly the same happens between one lot or another of the brand name drugs. This variation occurs when it is produced in mass, since small impurities, differences in sizes and even little noticeable changes in color can be witnessed. The FDA allows these small variations as long as all safety and quality parameters are met.
Brand laws do not authorize brand or generic drugs to have the same physical appearance as other drugs already found on the market, so that despite having the same active ingredient, other characteristics vary, such as color, smell or taste, these changes in appearance do not affect the effectiveness of the generic drug in any way.
Why are they cheaper?
At present there is still resistance to choosing the generic drug, since having a lower price generates mistrust and creates the doubt of whether it offers the same quality and effectiveness.
The decrease in price is due to the fact that the laboratories that manufacture the generic drug do not have the need to invest in expenses associated with research, development or patents, since the brand laboratory has done all that years ago, so the majority The advantage of EFGs is the savings in the price for the end customer.
So, if at any time you find yourself thinking which one to buy, you can have the peace of mind of substituting the brand for the generic.
References
FDA. (sf). FDA. Retrieved from https://www.fda.gov/drugs/generic-drugs/medicamentos-genericos-preguntas-y-respuestas