Buy Generic Drugs

What Are Generic Drugs?

When a new drug is developed, it is given a name that indicates the chemical make-up of that drug. This is called its generic or chemical name. The new drug is also given a brand name (also known as proprietary name) for marketing purposes. The brand name is usually easier to say and remember than the chemical name (also known as nonproprietary name).

Patients and Doctors will come to know the new drug by this brand name. (A well-known example of a brand name drug is Prozac - its generic or chemical name is fluoxetine hydrochloride). Generic medicines are copies of brand name medicines with the same active ingredients. Therefore, equivalent brand name and generic medicines have the same chemical name and the same therapeutic effect.

Safety & Quality of Generic Drugs

The approval process for generic drugs is rigorous. A company that manufactures a generic drug needs to prove that it is as effective and safe as its brand name counterpart. The company must show that their generic product has the same effect in the body and is manufactured to the same high standards before it can be registered and therefore sold to patients. The safety and quality of all generic products available on this site are without question. All have been through rigorous approval processes and are widely used.

It is a common perception that more expensive equals better quality. In the case of drugs however, this is not necessarily true! When a brand name drug has a generic competitor this simply means that the brand name product has been around long enough for its patent to expire which then allows copy products ("generics") to be made. Most often generics will be the discount prescription drugs found in these markets, and almost always they will be the cheapest drugs when compared to their brand name counterparts.

Generic pharmaceuticals are only allowed to enter the market, after they have been proven to be the same as their brand name counterparts in terms of dosage, safety, strength, how they are taken, quality, performance and intended use. These are the same requirements that exist in most developed nations. In these countries the quality standards required for the cheapest drugs (usually generics) are as high as they are for the most expensive drugs (usually brand name products).

Some Technical Facts About The Generic Medicine Approval Process

Generic medicines must show that they:

• Contain the same active ingredients as the brand name drug (inactive ingredients may vary)
• Are identical in strength, dosage, form, and route of administration
• Are used for the same condition(s)
• Are bio-equivalent (i.e. are available to the same extent in the body when taken or administered)
• Meet the same batch requirements for identity, strength, purity, and quality
• Are manufactured under the same strict standards of good manufacturing practice as required for brand name products.

Summary

A generic prescription drug is usually a discount prescription drug. However this does not mean it is a lower quality product so long as it is sourced from a country that has strong regulations controlling the standards that generic pharmaceuticals must meet in order to be available there. For further information on how to buy generic drugs visit SaveRxCanada.com.