Generic Medicines
by: nyasasoftec
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Word Count: 384
What is
Generic Medicine? Why is it called Generic? If you are looking for answers of
these questions then you are at the right place. By the time you finish reading
this article, your knowledge on this subject will be enhanced to a new level.
Let's
first understand the need to have different names for medicines. To put this
theory in simple words, orange juice is something consumed everyday, but an
orange juice manufacturing company would want to give their product a unique
name that is different from the common tag "orange juice" and this
new name becomes its brand name. Similarly, a generic name is a chemical name
given to a medicine keeping in mind the active ingredients present in it. A
brand name is a name given by the manufacturing company to differentiate their
product from other similar products in the market. Another important reason
behind giving brand name to a medicine is that generic names are long and can
be difficult to remember, while a brand name will always be short and easy to
remember.
Generic
medicine is defined as a substitute or a bioequivalent of a branded medicine
with respect to pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties. A medicine can
only be termed as generic if it is made up of the same chemical composition at
same strength and it has to meet the same pharmacopoeial standard of
preparation. Generic medicines are consumed in similar dosage pattern,
strength, safety precautions as its innovator brand.
Many
large pharmaceutical companies are heading towards manufacturing their own
generic medicine to preempt the expiry of their patent. Patent lifetime differs
from country to country and also it differs for different medicines. Generally,
there is no such process where you can renew a patent once it has expired.
In the
the FDA carries the responsibility to make sure that generic drugs are safe and
effective. This process began in 1960s where generic manufacturers had to prove
their medicine is bioequivalent to the innovator brand. The parameters for
approval of generic medicine are same as its innovator brand. Generic medicines
are cheaper and can save patients and insurance companies thousands of dollars
without compromising the quality of care.
About the Author
Jatin Chawla is a freelance journalist. Jatin writes for <a href="http://www.shopeastwest.com/med/index.php?utm_source=seo&utm_medium=article">http://www.shopeastwest.com/med</a> offering valuable information on <a href="http://www.shopeastwest.com/med/index.php?utm_source=seo&utm_medium=article">Generic Medicine</a>.
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