Did you know that clinicians and patients requested branded prescription drugs over generics 30% of the time, yet branded dispensing wastes billions of dollars yearly?
A cross-sectional study of 169 million Medicare Part D prescription claims from 2017 was examined by researchers Mariana Social, Ge Bai, and Gerard Anderson and published in the March 2, 2021 edition of JAMANetw Open. Their findings suggest that billions of dollars in savings could impact patients and the Medicare program by switching to generic drugs. According to the findings, older patients are often suspicious of generics and believe they are not the same as branded drugs. However, the FDA ensures they are equivalent.
According to the FDA, generic drugs undergo a rigorous review to ensure patient safety. However, companies are allowed variation for non-active ingredients such as fillers, but the active ingredients must be identical to the branded drug. “Some differences, which must be shown to not affect how the medicine functions, are allowed between the generic and the brand-name product” (March 16, 2021).
Readers, please carefully review the four resources below and decide for yourself if taking the generic drug is in your best interest.
Socal, M.P., Bai, G., Anderson, G.F. (2021, March 2). JAMA Newt Open, 4(3), e210483 doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.0483 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2776929
Drug Recalls from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (May 4, 2021). https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/drug-recalls
FDA Listing of Authorized Generics. April 21, 2021 https://www.fda.gov/media/77725/download
Postmarking Surveillance of Generic Drugs – FDA report https://www.fda.gov/media/111050/download
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