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Maybe it’s because of how we buy prescription medicine. You’ll get the prescription from your doctor, and then go to a pharmacy where they will default to offer

by moksly 5y ago

Maybe it’s because of how we buy prescription medicine. You’ll get the prescription from your doctor, and then go to a pharmacy where they will default to offering you the cheapest brand available at the time of your purchase, and ask if you’re cool with that. So we sort of have a culture where you only really stick to certain brands if you’ve ever had a bad reaction to a copy product. I’ve got a hay fever for instance, and for the past many years I’ve stuck to the same brand of antihistamines because I once bought a box that made me nauseous and I just went back to what I had previous used. This is anecdotal of course, but it took me almost a decade to learn the name and not just ask for the ones in the green box.

naturalauction 5y ago
I don't think it's only that - there are plenty of ads for medications with no generics. I think it's also because doctors may usually prefer one treatment for an issue, but if you mention another treatment you found (either via ads or your own research) they might be willing to prescribe that instead. Hence the common ad copy "ask your doctor if _____ is right for you."
brianwawok 5y ago
Very few drug commercials are for drugs with generics. They almost always hold a monopoly position.
Broken_Hippo 5y ago
Honestly, the differences between filling something in the states and Norway isn't that big - get a thing from the doctor, go to the pharmacy, and get the cheapest option (with a few exceptions). The pharmacies usually ask me if the generic is OK (some people care, after all). The bigger difference I see here is that in the US, I generally got loose pills in a pill box, and here in Norway, I'm more likely to get a standardized amount of pills in blister packs or manufacturer packaging. Quite simply, prescription drugs advertise in the US because they are both allowed to do it and the name-brand drugs get more people insisting on the name brand because they advertise, even though it costs the person more (sometimes, a lot more).

by moksly 5y ago

naturalauction 5y ago

I don't think it's only that - there are plenty of ads for medications with no generics. I think it's also because doctors may usually prefer one treatment for an issue, but if you mention another treatment you found (either via ads or your own research) they might be willing to prescribe that instead. Hence the common ad copy "ask your doctor if _____ is right for you."

brianwawok 5y ago

Very few drug commercials are for drugs with generics. They almost always hold a monopoly position.

Broken_Hippo 5y ago

Honestly, the differences between filling something in the states and Norway isn't that big - get a thing from the doctor, go to the pharmacy, and get the cheapest option (with a few exceptions). The pharmacies usually ask me if the generic is OK (some people care, after all). The bigger difference I see here is that in the US, I generally got loose pills in a pill box, and here in Norway, I'm more likely to get a standardized amount of pills in blister packs or manufacturer packaging. Quite simply, prescription drugs advertise in the US because they are both allowed to do it and the name-brand drugs get more people insisting on the name brand because they advertise, even though it costs the person more (sometimes, a lot more).