The rising cost of prescription medication is of great concern to many United States residents. This isn’t a new problem. This is a growing problem just like the increasing number of people without enough insurance. Prescription medications are expensive, and many people are looking for cheap alternatives. Prescription medications like these are not a luxury. Many times they save lives and help people have a better quality of life. They choose  cheap generic medications.

What, if any, differences exist between brand-name and generic prescription drugs?
Have you ever wondered why there are two signature lines on your doctor’s prescription order? The small print beneath one line reads “product selection permitted,” while the other says something to the effect of “dispense as prescribed.”

So, whether the physician indicates only a specific prescription brand should be filled, or allows the possibility of alternatives, is determined by the signature’s location on the prescription form. The manufacturers of brand name drugs, of course, hold that their products out perform generic medications. Manufacturers of generic medications tell you that there is no difference in the two.

What is the truth?
Brand name medications as opposed to generic drugs have the same active ingredients. If the same dose of that active ingredient is given for the same intended use, and the same method of administration is used at the same strength, then the two also have the same risks and side effects.

The price difference between generic and brand name drugs stems from the fact that research, development, testing, patent, and marketing costs have to be recouped by the makers of the brand name drug. The brand name of a drug can only be used by the manufacturer who originally developed it. That manufacturer is the only one who can sell that medicine that they developed and tested for a certain period of time.

If a generic drug company has permission by law to manufacture the medication as well, they don’t have to put the same amount of money into manufacturing and testing of the medication. Although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires drug manufacturers to do efficacy tests to be sure active ingredients are properly absorbed and can be used, preliminary testing and development research expenses aren’t required for generic drug companies.

Is there any difference?
Also, after the patent on brand name medication has expired, another generic drug manufacturer may apply to the FDA for permission to manufacture a generic version of it. When many companies apply for permission to manufacture the generic drug, there is greater competition for the generic drug pricing.  The end result is a cheaper generic version.

Generic drugs are required by the FDA to perform at the same level as brand names, and both types of prescription drug are tested for efficacy. Generic drugs work just as quickly and have the same strength or efficacy as compared to the brand name drugs. The FDA holds the manufacturers of generic drugs to the same quality control standards as brand name manufacturers.

Apart from the price, there is no real difference between brand name and generic prescription drugs. If this is the case, why would a physician prescribe a much more expensive brand name medication instead of a less expensive generic?

Generic drugs may look different from their brand name counterparts, because while the generic drug company must use the same active ingredient as the name brand drug, it can use different inactive ingredients. Inert ingredients are ones that do no effect the way the medication works, for example, the binding agent, food coloring, or flavorings. Occasionally, an inactive part of the drug may have incidental side effects in certain people, or in combination with something else the person has taken. In such cases, physicians might specify only the branded medication and not the generic drug.

To summarize, there is just not really any difference between brand name medications and generic medications.  Price is the only difference.  If your doctor does not prohibit the use of generics, they are a wise choice. Choosing a non-brand prescription can be economical and you get a comparable medicine that’s just as good.