Apr
6
Ask the Pharmacist
By Jason Cridge
Whenever a new generic medication hits the market, I am inundated with people asking “Is this the same medication that I was taking?” It seems there’s a certain level of suspicion when it comes to generic medications, and I feel as though the old saying “you get what you pay for” is partially responsible – especially when the new version comes with a price tag that can be as much as 82% less than the brand name!
To better understand generic medications, the first step is to follow the life cycle of a medication. When a drug company (ie. Pfizer) creates a medication, they are granted exclusivity from competition - more commonly known as a drug patent. This allows the company to recoup their investment and make profit during a specified period of time. After the patent expires, the drug molecule becomes common domain and any company can manufacture it. The companies that start manufacturing these molecules are called generic manufacturers; they provide the exact same molecule for a reduced price. Each product that is produced by a generic manufacturer has to be declared equivalent by Health Canada. New generic drugs are run through a variety of tests including ensuring the active drug molecule is identical to the brand name and to ensure the absorption of the molecule in the blood stream is also the same.
Some patients are sensitive to certain generic medications; this is because the fillers or dyes in the capsules or tablets may vary slightly from what the brand name manufacturer may have used. The generic may contain lactose, whereas the brand name tablet had cellulose; the generic may have used yellow dye #4 whereas the brand name may have use yellow dye #3. These differences, although small, do have an impact on a small subset of patients. If you have an intolerance or allergy to one of the fillers (ie. lactose, dyes) you may experience issues as a result. For the vast majority, however, these differences are meaningless and you should not be concerned whatsoever. Generic medications play an extremely important role in our healthcare system. They have saved our country billions of dollars. Generic companies reinvest profits into litigation to challenge drug patents and provide new generic opportunities for Canadians. Additionally, the majority of generic manufacturers are Canadian companies in contrast to the multinational brand name companies. If a pharmacist offers you a generic product, embrace the opportunity knowing the rigorous tests that product has undertaken in order to be made available to you.
The James Bay Beacon receives monthly contributions from the following pharmacists: Jason Cridge – Cridge Family Pharmacy; Stefani Tagg – Thrifty Foods Pharmacy; and Robert Wojtas - James Bay Pharmasave.