Generic Drugs From India

Your first line itself is partially true. Generic drugs is a category of drugs and it does not define quality. Companies manufacturing generic drugs are of different levels and the medicines they manufacture are also of different quality. Some companies manufacture drugs of the lowest quality which can be categorized as fake, because the amount of constituents are of minimum value or negligible value. Being a customer, there are little chances that one has got the knowledge about medicines and its companies. So the duty should lie on the hands of the chemist that he suggests good medicines to all.

 

Oh my - there appears to be a considerable amount of confusion here

Firstly - it is in actual fact true - all generic drugs do guarantee quality - along with safety and efficacy too.
For the simple reason that - regardless of where or what country a generic drug originates from - to ensure patient safety - all approved generic drugs must be identical to their brand name counterparts - in that they must contain exactly the same active compound or bio-equivalent of the innovator/brand name drug and - all must be - manufactured under the same strict safety standards and good manufacturing practice regulations required for innovator drugs.

Secondly - the companies who manufacture generic drugs are neither a different category nor a different level - in fact so much so - that unbeknown to many - a large proportion of generic medications are actually manufactured and processed in the exact same manufacturing plants as their brand name equivalents.

Therefore as the same strict safety regulations apply to both brand name and generic drugs - regardless of their country of origin - and it is only those drugs that are allowed by law to be sold in pharmacies etc - there is no need for concern providing they are acquired through a legitimate source.

However as the article mentioned in this thread - is not actually referring to generic drugs sold legitimately - but warning of the dangers associated with the many counterfeit or fake products posing as brand name drugs - that are being sold at discounted prices on many online pharmacy sites - where because the majority of these sites and the medications they sell are not regulated in the same way as brick and mortar pharmacies - almost any medication - regardless of its ingredients - can be sold under the guise of it being the real thing.

Which is in fact - the main reason why it is generally advised to avoid buying anything from online pharmacies - particularly as the majority of counterfeit products - not only lack the active drug compound but usually also contain dangerous or contaminated ingredients.

Once again - there is absolutely no need for concern - providing drugs - meaning both generic and branded - are acquired through legitimate sources.

 

I try and stick to my known brands when buying medicine because I don't like to risk it when it comes to something I ingest. The small amount I might be saving now might just end up costing me more in the future in medical bills if I'm not careful. Also, like already mentioned, even though the ingredients are similar you can't be assured of the quality. I have tested generic brands from time to time and I don't know if it's just my imagination but I've always felt that the branded ones were much more effective most of the time.

 

There was a time when our congress tackled the proposed bill that banned imported drugs from India. The first problem is the price, the Indian generic drugs are so cheap that local drugs cannot compete. Second is the efficacy of the Indian generics. Some doctors claim that the efficacy is only half or less than 50%. So if the medicine is not that effective then it should not be sold.