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Author: Admin | 2025-04-28
Here’s a question for you: Do generic medications (like fluticasone and sildenafil) really work the same as their brand-name counterparts (like Flovent HFA Inhaler and Viagra)? They’re often cheaper. They’re (sometimes) easier to find. But they can be confusing. What is a generic drug, and why do they cost so much less than their brand counterparts? You’ll find the answers to these and other questions below. Why Are Generic Drugs Cheaper? When you’ve bought prescription medications in America, you’ve probably noticed the staggering range of medication prices. Some meds can cost hundreds (or even thousands!) of dollars for a one-month supply. Generic medications, or non-branded alternatives to the most popular products lining your pharmacy’s shelves, offer you a cheaper way to fill your prescription. But this can seem odd: If your pharmacy can sell you generic apixaban for around $2.50/pill, why is the branded version, Eliquis, almost double the cost?Here’s a quick behind-the-scenes look into the method behind the profit margin for American drug manufacturers: Brand-name pharmaceutical companies spend a lot of money on R&D. Research and development costs millions of dollars for every drug produced. Generic manufacturers don’t have to spend as much creating their lower-cost versions. Brand-name pharmaceutical companies have to go through an extensive approval process. To get drugs approved by government health regulators, brand-name manufacturers must undergo years of expensive applications and trials. Generic approval processes are usually less rigorous (and faster) because the active ingredient is the same as the brand which has gone through the more extensive approval process. Brand-name pharmaceutical companies may produce smaller batches than generic manufacturers. Once a generic medication is approved, generic manufacturers tend to produce drugs in huge quantities – which allows them to reduce the per-unit cost of each drug’s production. Brand-name pharmaceutical companies don’t have a lot of competition. After bringing their drugs to market, pharmaceutical companies can patent their products. This gives them a period of time where they’re the only one making their unique drug – which gives them free rein over their pricing strategies. Brand-name pharmaceutical companies also spend a lot of money on marketing. When a new brand-name drug comes to market, you’ll see ads for it – but generics don’t tend to have that much fanfare. That also allows generic manufacturers to price their drugs lower (and pass those savings on to you). It’s important to remember that the differences between brand-name
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