Mythbusters: Generic Drugs

I was surprised to get this UCSF Magazine assignment investigating myths about generic drugs - I'd thoug​ht that controversy was long over. I was wrong. A recent study showed that even some practitioners have a bias - unfounded, experts say - toward name brands. The consequences of these prescription choices are in the billions of dollars.

The myth of shoddiness may be reinforced by the way generics look, feel, or taste compared to brand-name drugs consumers are familiar with. That’s because inactive fillers, coatings, or liquids that help deliver the active ingredient – the actual drug – can vary. “Many people view generics as somehow being inferior because of observable differences,” [Dr. Candy] Tsourounis says, because generic manufacturers tweak these inactive components. .... “Those differences exist, but the pharmacology – how the drug works in the body, the actual medicine it contains... – is the same.” Read more. 

---