Generic Meds: Categories and Precautions
The word generic has several meanings with respect to drugs. It is basically the chemical name of a drug which refers to the chemical composition of it and not the brand name by which the drug is sold by the manufacturing companies, i.e. any drug which is not marketed under its brand name but is done so under its original chemical name. For example- Diazepam which is the generic or chemical name of a sedative is advertised and marketed as Vazepam or Valium by the respective manufacturing companies.
Obviously when sold under a brand name, the price of the drug is more as compared to when it is sold under it’s generic name. Although the basic composition, purity, safety and utility are the same. This is because with the inclusion of a market name, the various costs such as that of advertising and branding are taken into consideration. The legal production of generic drugs in certain countries (US) is possible even when the patent has expired, or even when the drugs haven’t been patented at all.
Basically the monopoly of the holder of a patent, i.e. the marketing company, is removed as soon as the patent expires; however, the generic drugs can still be manufactured and sold irrespective of the existence or expiration of the patent.
Categories
These generic drugs are available widely at chemist shops and also now on online pharmacy sites. The categories of these drugs can be diabetes medicines, pain relief medicines, antibiotic medicines, women as well as men health medicines, weight loss drugs, asthma tablets and many more. These are also sold as Prescription Medicine USA and most other countries use these generic meds widely as they are cheaper and obviously the quality and safety remains uncompromising.
Precautions
Being immensely popular, as they are economical alternatives of the respective branded medicines, generic drugs are widely used by patients worldwide. However, it is very important to consult a physician before using any generic medicine. It is advised that one should never diagnose themselves and consume a generic drug without a prescription from a physician as every ailment has a basis of numerous underlying factors and taking medicine on our own may prove to be harmful. Also numerous ailments have more or less similar symptoms, so there are high chances that just by self-diagnosis, one may intake a wrong medicine. Furthermore, medicines should always be bought from reputed Generic Medicines Online USA.
