Here's a brief overview of the development of generic medicines. When a pharmaceutical company develops a drug it is granted a patent and when 20 years has passed, other companies can copy the drug and market it themselves. The original patent and subsequent development of the generic 'copies' are regulated by the FDA. The generics must be chemically identical to the original drug, have the same active ingredients, dosages and be administered in the same way for the same reasons as the original brand name drug. The differences between the original and the generic may be in the name, coloring, taste, shape and sometimes in the 'inactive' ingredients of the formula. The generics are then remarketed to consumers at a significantly reduced price by both U.S. and other offshore pharmacies.

In recent years, pharmaceutical companies from U.S. and other modern industrial nations have been faced with the high cost of manufacturing and distribution like many industries. They have turned to the developing third world for the outsourcing of their manufacturing operations. China and India have seen tremendous growth in this field in the past 20 years and the Chinese drug industry alone is expected to become the world's 5th largest producer of pharmaceuticals by 2010. This puts tremendous pressure on U.S. manufacturers and their traditional ties to the American Health Care system. In order to be competitive, the companies we trust and are familiar with must look to these same offshore manufacturing operations to reduce their costs of producing the medicines we rely on every day. U.S. health insurers are also promoting generics to improve their bottom line.


However, there have been problems with the quality of medications coming from Mexico, India, China and other countries and the World Health organization estimates that as much as 10% may be substandard or counterfeit. International industry watch dog organizations are being formed and the FDA and other governments are making an effort to inspect these production facilities to stem the tide of counterfeit drugs from entering the distribution stream in the U.S. Unfortunately brick and mortar pharmacies and well as online pharmacies can fall victim to counterfeit products in the flow of products from manufacturer to consumer.

Consumers must be their own best advocates. Talk to your doctor about the availability of generic forms of the medications you take. Then carefully monitor your reactions to the generics just to make sure that it does the same thing the brand name medication did. When in doubt, return them to the pharmacy you purchased them at and have them tested. These actions by savvy consumers have led to investigations and arrests in recent years. Buying medications online should only be done with the blessing of your physician and only from a pharmacy that will require a prescription.

By: kip pearson

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Consumers can save 50-80% when they buy generic medicines online. At freeclinicmeds.com there is a comprehensive list of many generic medicines with descriptions of what they are used for and possible side effects. There are also links to the manufacturers where these drugs are made. Kip Pearson is a researcher and advocate for affordable health care and consumer rights.