3 ms·
In generics they can change the inactive ingredients and obviously they don't always use the same equipment or facilities to produce it. Some people have allerg
by logn 14y ago
In generics they can change the inactive ingredients and obviously they don't always use the same equipment or facilities to produce it. Some people have allergies to inactive ingredients which may explain the different side effects.
But in my mind the generics are just as good as name brand, albeit sometimes different. I guess I'd be just as likely to react poorly to the inactive ingredients in the name brand and might find a generic better in some cases.
- haldujai 14y agoActually that's not true. Generics (at least in Canada but probably true elsewhere as well) only have to give between 85%-120% of the dose of the brand name drug, this is despite having the same official dosage as printed on the label. The difference comes from preparation, pill coatings, and inactive ingredients.
- kvb 14y agoThat's right. The impact that this has on the quality of the medication is dependent on the dose-response curve. I wouldn't expect this to be a big deal for painkillers, for instance, but it could easily cause noticeable differences elsewhere.
- shubb 14y agoAlso, my friend who works at a pharma factory says brand names have much tighter quality control - more batches are tested with far less tolerance. In addition, some of the details of the chemicals (such as I guess the angles of the molecules) may be different, because the generic manufacturer imperfectly reverse engineers the process used to make the drug. Clinical trials to validate the generic are less strict.