Our time dictates people need to understand so many products and services – which car, computer, TV-set, refrigerator is better to buy, not to just throw money away. The same goes for food and clothing. And of course drugs, as in most cases in our country they are available for free purchase. And if with technology, food and clothing things are more or less clear, and sometimes with a naked eye you can see the difference between high and low quality products, with drugs situation is fundamentally different. For not informed person it is very difficult to understand and often not at all clear why the two drugs with a common name (international non-patented name) differ in price. And why doctor did not prescribe this one, which is by several times cheaper, but that one that is much more expensive – we think this is machinations of pharmaceutical companies and villains in white coats who want to dive their hand into patient’s pocket, especially when mass media constantly tell us about it. And if a patient decides to ignore doctor’s advice and buy a cheaper drug independently, in most cases, it either does not help or helps, but after a much longer time. If the disease is severe, the doctor, thinking that the drug «does not work», will begin to change therapy, making patient spend even more money and time, and the patient begins to consider the doctor unskilled half-educated person – and this is how a vicious circle is completed.
In this article online store – Canadian Family Pharmacy will try to dispel those doubts and explain why some drugs are very expensive, and others cost a penny. And why expensive drug helps very quickly and the cheaper one makes suffer both patient, who cannot recover, and doctor, who does not know what else to invent and prescribe to help his patient.
Generics and Original Drugs
On pharmaceutical market there are two drug groups – originals and generics. The first ones are expensive, and the latter by many times cheaper than the first ones. Our online pharmacy Canadian Family Pharmacy conducted a survey, which showed that not more than 20% of patients are aware about their existence and know difference between them. And that is why this issue requires more extensive consideration.
So, original drug is a new development of pharmaceutical company, which first has discovered, synthesize and patented it for many years. During this period, this drug can be produced only by this particular company. The original drug is often unique and has no analogues among other companies, so pharmacies can’t offer you any substitution as long as patent protection lasts. When patent protection expires, there appear analogues, and this «first» preparation will cost more than all other similar drugs (e. g., Viagra drug is the most expensive of all PDE-5 inhibitors, as it is the original drug).
Why original drugs are so expensive? The thing is that not all new molecules become medications – usually out of 5 000 – 10 000 thousand newly discovered molecules not more than a dozen reaches pharmacy shelves. Molecules, beginning their path, are tested for safety and efficacy in all possible and impossible ways, for this many clinical trials are conducted involving lots of people and technical resources and take about 10 years. These costs, including molecules that haven’t «passed», are included in the cost of a new drug. The price also includes costs for marketing, training doctors and pharmacists, costs for post-marketing studies that last for several years after drug release on the market in order to obtain the fullest information about its safety data. At average, creation and release of one drug requires about one billion dollars and while patent protection lasts pharmaceutical company is trying to compensate their costs, get money for next developments and make profit. All this explains high prices for original drugs.
Over time patent protection expires and from that moment on pharmaceutical market generic drugs appear that are in fact are copies of original drugs. There is a logical question arises – why are they cheaper? They are cheaper because their manufacturers do not have to spend money on their development, they work with a ready medicinal product, there is no need to prove in numerous studies its safety and effectiveness – it was made by company-developer. That is why generic drugs have significantly lower price, even though requirements for production of generics and originals must be exactly the same, but in practice it is not always the case.
You may have noticed or will notice now that generics’ prises also greatly vary – from expensive to very cheap. This phenomenon also has explanation. The fact is that preparations should be manufactured in accordance with the GMP requirements (good manufacturing practice). Besides, WHO (World Health Organization) has specific requirements for generics equivalence (similarity) to original drugs, namely it is necessary to determine bioequivalence, pharmaceutical equivalence (i. e., complete coincidence of all fillers and pigments in original and generic drugs) and therapeutic equivalence (proof of completely identical action of both original and generic drugs). Those drugs that have passed all research stages – are very expensive, and those that have passed only laboratory-defined bioequivalence test – are very cheap, but their therapeutic effect is so often disappointing for patients and frustrating for doctors.
Most often only bioequivalence is determined, with a very large scatter of data from original, which explains their very low efficiency (or its absence). So if you do not want to be disappointed in any medication or doctor, who recommended it to you, do not independently replace it. If you cannot afford expensive medicine, tell your doctor about it and he will try to help you to choose something less expensive. The only, but a big «but» – it won’t be very cheap any way, for the reasons mentioned above. But in any case, your money will actually be spent on treatment, rather than wasted.
Generics from Canadian Family Pharmacy
Canadian Family Pharmacy is an online drugstore which offers its customers high-quality low-cost drugs. We provide best-quality generics at affordable prices so each our customer can find and buy any medication he needs and be sure about its effectiveness and safety. Our manufacturers guarantee that all standards are observed and medications have all necessary documents and certificates. Visit Canadian Family Pharmacy online right now and be healthy with us!
We live in an era of vast choice of different products, and of course, buying this or that product, we try to choose the better, so that it serves and pleases us longer. The same approach would do well in choosing medicines. We have only one health and to restore it cheap and cheerfully, unfortunately, is not possible. So try not to listen to anyone else but your doctor.