Generic medicines are widely used to provide treatment at more affordable prices. Despite the widespread use of these drugs and strict regulations imposed on their manufacturers, many people still harbor misconceptions, believing that they are not as safe or effective as brand-name drugs.
The truth is that generic medicines are beneficial for providers and patients alike. They allow physicians to offer financially sustainable options that improve patient compliance, resulting in better health outcomes.
To deliver the best quality of care and reassure hesitant patients, healthcare providers should be prepared to address common myths about generic drugs. Learn more about generic medications and the pervasive misconceptions that might prevent patients from fully trusting them.
What Are Generic Medicines?
A generic drug is a medication made to be chemically identical to a brand-name drug. They come in the same dosage and potency, and they’re administered via the same route. This makes them bioequivalent to the brand-name drug, which means they provide the same clinical benefits.
To receive FDA approval via the agency’s Generic Drugs Program, a medicine must contain the same active ingredients as the brand-name version and work in the same way. This program also assesses the manufacturing process of generic medications and tests their safety before giving them the go-ahead to be used as an alternative.
Myth #1: Generic Medicines Are Less Effective
One of the most common myths about generic drugs is that they’re less effective than their brand-name counterparts. People tend to assume that because they’re less expensive, the quality of the ingredients used is subpar. Often, they trust branded medications more because they recognize the name of the company behind the drug.
Before a generic medicine gets approved by the FDA, it undergoes rigorous tests to ensure that the quality of the product matches that of the branded version. By law, the drugs must be identical in quality and safety.
The FDA ensures that a drug meets specific criteria before it is considered bioequivalent to the brand-name drug. Generic medicines must be equivalent in the following:
- Dosage
- Effectiveness
- Strength
- Route of administration
- Safety
- Labeling
- Active ingredients
- Manufacturing standards
If the FDA approves a generic medicine, it’s because the medicine has met all of these requirements. This means that patients will experience the same results they would get from the branded version.
Myth #2: Generic Medicines Are Unsafe
Another of the most pervasive myths about generic drugs is that they pose a safety risk. Because branded drugs have well-known pharmaceutical companies behind them, patients trust that the drugs are safe. An unnamed, unknown manufacturer doesn’t provide the same sense of safety.
To combat this myth, medical providers can remind patients of the strict process that all drugs must go through in order to obtain FDA approval.
The first step is for a pharmaceutical company to submit an abbreviated new drug application. After receiving this application, the FDA evaluates whether the company has demonstrated that the generic medicine can safely substitute for the branded one.
The active ingredients must be identical, though the inactive ingredients can vary. If the branded drug was administered orally, the same must be true of the generic one. It must last for the same amount of time, and the potential side effects must be identical.
The FDA evaluates whether the pharmaceutical company can manufacture the drug correctly and consistently. This means demonstrating that each step of the manufacturing process will offer the same results every time. The FDA may send agents to the site to check the process firsthand.
In instances where different companies make different parts of the drug, each company must demonstrate consistency and quality. The manufacturer must then create batches of the medication it wants to market and offer the FDA information on the entire process.
Myth #3: Generic Medicines Have More Side Effects
After using a brand-name drug, patients can be hesitant to switch over to a generic version. Often, the reason behind this hesitancy is the fear of new side effects. One of the most widespread myths about generic drugs is that patients experience more side effects from them than they would from a branded medication.
It’s important to remind patients that the active ingredients and the medication’s strength are the same in both drugs. Although the inactive ingredients can vary, this is seldom a cause for concern. In rare cases, it could be a problem, especially if a patient is allergic to certain dyes.
The efficacy of generic drugs is backed by research: A 2013 evaluation published in the Journal of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapeutics that included 2,070 single-dose studies of orally administered FDA-approved generic medications found no significant differences in the products.
Another study, conducted in 2019 and published by PLOS Medicine, showed that the use of generic alendronate, calcitonin, glipizide, and quinapril medications had comparable outcomes to that of brand-name products, including side effects.
Myth #4: Brand-Name Medicines Are Always Better
Myths about generic drugs also include the belief that branded versions are always better. Patients perceive the brand-name drug as being a higher-quality product, but there’s no evidence that supports this.
What patients are responding to are the effective marketing efforts of the pharmaceutical company. However, because the active ingredients are the same and are present in the same strength and dosage, generic medications provide the same clinical benefits.
One example of this is Zoloft, which is used to treat depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder, and its generic counterpart, sertraline. There are slight differences in additives between these drugs, but they are otherwise identical. The potential side effects and contraindications are the same.
Myth #5: Generic Medicines Are Cheaper Because They Are Inferior
It’s natural to make an association between cost and quality. Patients may assume that products that cost a fraction of the branded version must contain ineffective or subpar ingredients or that they must be manufactured in less stringent conditions. None of that is true.
Much of the difference in cost comes down to marketing expenses. Pharmaceutical companies spend a significant amount of money marketing their branded drugs, and they pass those costs on to consumers. The marketing budgets for generic drug manufacturers are minimal in comparison.
Additionally, because the research and development has also already been done in the process of creating the branded drug, the generic drug manufacturer is not concerned about recouping these costs. All of these factors help to keep prices low.
The Benefits of Choosing Generic Medicines
Despite the myths about generic drugs, they are often the right choice for providers and their patients. Most importantly, they are much more affordable. Patients and providers alike can benefit from these lower costs, especially providers who offer pre-packaged medications dispensed directly at their offices.
Costly medications can make sticking to a treatment regimen much more difficult, which means less positive patient outcomes. Generic drugs provide access to treatment options that might otherwise be financially impossible.
Additionally, generic drugs offer the same therapeutic results as branded drugs. Patients don’t have to sacrifice quality of care by choosing lower prices.
How to Talk to Your Patients About Generic Drugs
To counter the myths about generic drugs, healthcare providers can focus on educating their patients. Providing information about how these drugs are approved by the FDA and the rigorous testing they undergo can help significantly.
It’s also vital to allow patients to ask questions. They may have a number of them regarding the myths about generic drugs. Ask patients about their reasons for hesitating and do everything you can to address their concerns with facts.
If you have firsthand experience with taking a generic medicine, it’s a good idea to share this with your patients. Providers who have taken generic drugs themselves and had positive outcomes can put patients at ease.
Streamline Patient Care With Generic Drugs In-Office Dispensing
One of the best steps you can take for your office is to incorporate a medication dispensing service that includes generic options for the most common drugs. This service gives you a chance to directly address any concerns your patients have about generic options right as you’re dispensing them.
In-office dispensing offers convenience for providers as well as patients. It can also improve confidence; patients are much more likely to accept generic drugs if their prescriptions are filled right there at the office instead of at a pharmacy.
At the same time, on-site dispensing makes it easier for a patient to begin their treatment immediately instead of delaying it until they have time to pick up their new prescription. This also improves adherence, resulting in more positive outcomes, which in turn increase patient satisfaction and keep them coming back to a provider.
Crucially, patients want physician dispensing. A provider who offers this option can attract more patients than one that doesn’t.
At Proficient Rx, we partner with healthcare providers to provide on-site dispensing services for some of the leading generic medications. We offer turn-key solutions with high-quality prepackaged medications and a web-based dispensing system that is intuitive and simple to use.
If you’d like to encourage your patients to try generic medications from the convenience of your office, contact our team at Proficient Rx.
