Generic Medicines

[MissIndia]

Was at Dischem looking to buy off the counter medication for a chronic cough.
Recommended was Pholtex Forte @ approx. R40.
So I asked to see some of the other brands - mainly to compare the active ingredients - as I have tried 2 or 3 other brands that didn't work.

One of them was Folcofen which pretty much contained the same ingredient as the Pholtex but a lesser quantity thereof.

Folofen was R10 vs Pholtex @ R40

So why don't pharmacists present me with the option of the generic in addition to the Pholtex , in this cases, that way I could decide for myself based on costs etc.

 

[FarligOpptreden]

Pharmacists need to make money as well... Medical aids always recommend you take the generic. They usually even pay for the generics in full, whilst you have a huge levy to settle for non-generics.

 

[MadMailMan]

If I give you my mother's chocolate cake recipe will it taste the same when you make it as when she does? No. Same goes for generics.

 

[HavocXphere]

Cough meds are nothing but painkillers/anesthesia: It just suppresses the irritation that you feel, so no coughing. It is not treatment. They are also pretty addictive.

If you've got a chronic cough then go see a doc & determine the root cause instead of suppressing the symptoms.

 

[Pooky]

If I give you my mother's chocolate cake recipe will it taste the same when you make it as when she does? No. Same goes for generics.

I'm not sure about that analogy.

 

[auriga1000]

Cough meds are nothing but painkillers/anesthesia: It just suppresses the irritation that you feel, so no coughing. It is not treatment. They are also pretty addictive.

If you've got a chronic cough then go see a doc & determine the root cause instead of suppressing the symptoms.

correct. after 1 bottle, don't self medicate until you see a doctor. the dischem staff should have told you that.

 

[murraybiscuit]

If I give you my mother's chocolate cake recipe will it taste the same when you make it as when she does? No. Same goes for generics.

the difference is that efficacy in medicines can be measured and is not always interpreted.
given the same ingredients and concentration, i fail to see how efficacy can be different.
it's a well known fact that companies which make "ethical" (original) drugs also make generics - e.g. adcock ingram / adco.
they would be undermining their own ethical brand if they sold a sub-standard generic imo.
that said, it does serve them if the efficacy myth persists - that way they pay off their r&d costs quicker.
but of course, they couldn't lose market share to generics once patents had expired, so they now have their own generic lines.
in some cases they may tweak concentrations of the active ingredients e.g. syndol / adcodol / lenapain.
i don't really see any issue in that case, as otc isn't really a big issue in terms of marginal efficacy.
it would be interesting to know if generics are as prolific with scheduled meds, and what their ingredient variances are in those cases.

 

[syntax]

If I give you my mother's chocolate cake recipe will it taste the same when you make it as when she does? No. Same goes for generics.

no, but it will have the same ingredients....and isnt that what counts?

 

[CathJ]

Was at Dischem looking to buy off the counter medication for a chronic cough.
Recommended was Pholtex Forte @ approx. R40.
So I asked to see some of the other brands - mainly to compare the active ingredients - as I have tried 2 or 3 other brands that didn't work.

One of them was Folcofen which pretty much contained the same ingredient as the Pholtex but a lesser quantity thereof.

Folofen was R10 vs Pholtex @ R40

So why don't pharmacists present me with the option of the generic in addition to the Pholtex , in this cases, that way I could decide for myself based on costs etc.

That's not quite a generic, then - a generic has to have the same amount of the active ingredient. But in this case, maybe he didn't recommend it because he felt you needed the higher dose?

That said, it does pay to check. I once asked about antihistamines at Clicks - they wanted to give me a box that cost R250, for 30 tablets. The ones I had been using were R12 for 10 tablets - so for 30, it was still only R36. (That wasn't a generic, though - different meds, but the cheaper ones work just as well for me).

 

[auriga1000]

the difference is that efficacy in medicines can be measured and is not always interpreted.
given the same ingredients and concentration, i fail to see how efficacy can be different.
it's a well known fact that companies which make "ethical" (original) drugs also make generics - e.g. adcock ingram / adco.
they would be undermining their own ethical brand if they sold a sub-standard generic imo.
that said, it does serve them if the efficacy myth persists - that way they pay off their r&d costs quicker.
but of course, they couldn't lose market share to generics once patents had expired, so they now have their own generic lines.
in some cases they may tweak concentrations of the active ingredients e.g. syndol / adcodol / lenapain.
i don't really see any issue in that case, as otc isn't really a big issue in terms of marginal efficacy.
it would be interesting to know if generics are as prolific with scheduled meds, and what their ingredient variances are in those cases.

2 issues here.
generic substitute
therapeutic substitute

generic implies identical in every aspect for the active ingredient as well as dosage form. in other words, both must have same ingredients and must both be in capsule,tablet or whichever form. further if drug A is long acting and drug B is not although they have same ingredients, they are not true generics of each other.

this would now fall into next category ie. therapeutic subsitute. can be used for same condition but result may vary.
cough mixture example falls into this category.

btw generics are prolific in both OTC and prescription meds.
always compare apples to apples when it comes to generics. that said, some companys have superior generics to others and always ask if you are not sure.

 

[auriga1000]

anyone try bootleg generics of medicines still on patent? india don't respect international medical patent laws...

know of one test that was done on insulin that turned out to be plain old water. risky but quite prolific in S.A.
take your chance and see

 

[murraybiscuit]

2 issues here.
generic substitute
therapeutic substitute

generic implies identical in every aspect for the active ingredient as well as dosage form. in other words, both must have same ingredients and must both be in capsule,tablet or whichever form. further if drug A is long acting and drug B is not although they have same ingredients, they are not true generics of each other.

this would now fall into next category ie. therapeutic subsitute. can be used for same condition but result may vary.
cough mixture example falls into this category.

btw generics are prolific in both OTC and prescription meds.
always compare apples to apples when it comes to generics. that said, some companys have superior generics to others and always ask if you are not sure.

very helpful post. thanks.
i'm interested to understand what makes something with the same ingredients last longer than another?

 

[Freaksta]

very helpful post. thanks.
i'm interested to understand what makes something with the same ingredients last longer than another?

I have noticed that with certain medicine the orginal works better than the generic and have also wondered why this is, but i guess it can only be to do with the quality of the ingredience? Dose is the same so it cant really be anything else.

 

[auriga1000]

I have noticed that with certain medicine the orginal works better than the generic and have also wondered why this is, but i guess it can only be to do with the quality of the ingredience? Dose is the same so it cant really be anything else.

yes and no.
yes - some generics better than others
no - some ingredient vehicles are made differently - eg. long acting (LA) slow release (SR) etc. simple example Voltaren tablets formulated as 25mg tablets as well as 75mg SR. 3 x 25mg is not equal to 1 x 75mg SR because of the way SR is formulated. remember "apples to apples".

nb: some items although generics are available, cannot be substituted because slight variations in blood levels may increase toxicity or give sub-therapeutic levels. examples are certain medicines for epilepsy and heart disease. if in doubt, check with your doctor/pharmacist.