The Los Angeles Times is serving up a package of stories this morning questioning whether generic drugs are as good as the brand-name medications they copy.
The Times cites complaints about a variety of generics, including drugs for epilepsy, depression and the heart. It tells the story of patients like Jillian Bealer, of Buffalo, N.Y., who’d been taking antidepressant Wellbutrin XL for attention deficit disorder and an anxiety disorder. But after switching to a generic, her mental health deteriorated. While the FDA defends its generic-drug approval practice and says it’s confident generics are equivalent to brands, the Times quotes a number of doctors who say they’re not convinced.
Like Times, we found that both doctors and patients felt passionately that generics weren’t always up to mark. But despite lots of searching, we couldn’t find a solid, randomized and well-controlled study proving there was a problem. The Epilepsy Foundation and allied doctors acknowledged they didn’t have one either.
My own thinking says generics are good enough as branded products.
Today's Question: Do you think that Generics are good enough as Branded products w.r.t safety or efficacy? Please comment.
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