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And this makes the pharmacy give you the brand name drug? That's surprising. Over here (Germany) the doctor can fill in the name of the brand in the prescripti

And this makes the pharmacy give you the brand name drug? That's surprising. Over here (Germany) the doctor can fill in the name of the brand in the prescription, but unless he ticks a special box you'll automatically get the generic.

pbhjpbhj 9y ago
Why would a pharmacy give you a brand name, the generic is chemically identical, the doctor can give a brand name - they've done their part. The pharmacy could then offer you the brand name, or the generic, as long as they make the generic cheaper then the pharmacy can make more money; save you money and give identical service. Some people will still opt for the more expensive, of course, but where's the incentive for the pharmacist to fill a script for Neurofen RTM with anything other than ibuprofen? Why even is there a special box -- if the generic isn't the same drug (tested, licensed, etc.) it's not a generic. Might as well have a "are you getting a kickback for prescribing this" box?
- stordoff 9y ago
  Generics aren't always chemically identical. The active ingredient might be the same, but the binders may not be. In the majority of cases, that's fine - you only really care about the active ingredient - but in certain cases, such as a sensitivity to one of those ingredients, it might not be. My sister has had to have specific brands of certain medicines prescribed due to a sensitivity to certain types of sugars. For instance, compare Neurofen: > Each tablet contains Ibuprofen 200 mg Also contains: Sucrose, Sodium Citrate, talk, Croscarmellose Sodium, Stearis Acid, Titaniu, Dioxide, Silicon Dioxide, Acacia, Carmellose Sodium, Sodiu, Laurilsulphate, Macrogol and Blank Ink(contains Shellac, Iron Oxide Black (E172) and Propylene Glycol) or Opacode S -1 -8152 HV Black (contains Shellac, Iron Oxide Black (E172, Antifoam DC1510 and Soya Lecithin https://www.boots.com/nurofen-200mg-tablets-16-tablets https://www.boots.com/nurofen-200mg-tablets-16-tablets to generic ibuprofen: > Ibuprofen 400mg, sodium starch glycollate, croscarmellose sodium, sucrose, E171, E127 and E211 https://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/ibuprofen-400mg-tablets/prd-i5j https://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/ibuprofen-400mg-tablets/prd-...

pbhjpbhj 9y ago

Why would a pharmacy give you a brand name, the generic is chemically identical, the doctor can give a brand name - they've done their part. The pharmacy could then offer you the brand name, or the generic, as long as they make the generic cheaper then the pharmacy can make more money; save you money and give identical service. Some people will still opt for the more expensive, of course, but where's the incentive for the pharmacist to fill a script for Neurofen RTM with anything other than ibuprofen? Why even is there a special box -- if the generic isn't the same drug (tested, licensed, etc.) it's not a generic. Might as well have a "are you getting a kickback for prescribing this" box?

stordoff 9y ago
Generics aren't always chemically identical. The active ingredient might be the same, but the binders may not be. In the majority of cases, that's fine - you only really care about the active ingredient - but in certain cases, such as a sensitivity to one of those ingredients, it might not be. My sister has had to have specific brands of certain medicines prescribed due to a sensitivity to certain types of sugars. For instance, compare Neurofen: > Each tablet contains Ibuprofen 200 mg Also contains: Sucrose, Sodium Citrate, talk, Croscarmellose Sodium, Stearis Acid, Titaniu, Dioxide, Silicon Dioxide, Acacia, Carmellose Sodium, Sodiu, Laurilsulphate, Macrogol and Blank Ink(contains Shellac, Iron Oxide Black (E172) and Propylene Glycol) or Opacode S -1 -8152 HV Black (contains Shellac, Iron Oxide Black (E172, Antifoam DC1510 and Soya Lecithin https://www.boots.com/nurofen-200mg-tablets-16-tablets https://www.boots.com/nurofen-200mg-tablets-16-tablets to generic ibuprofen: > Ibuprofen 400mg, sodium starch glycollate, croscarmellose sodium, sucrose, E171, E127 and E211 https://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/ibuprofen-400mg-tablets/prd-i5j https://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/ibuprofen-400mg-tablets/prd-...