Q: Recently, I was watching the news and heard a discussion about a medication I take that is expected to become available in a generic form. My understanding is that this usually means the medication will be less expensive, which is always welcome. However, I can’t help but feel anxious about whether a generic version will work as well for me as the brand-name product I’m currently using. Can you explain what a generic medication actually is and how it comes to market in Canada?
Thank you so much for writing in! There has been a lot of buzz lately about new generic medications entering the market, so this is a great opportunity to help clear up some common questions and concerns in this week’s Ask Your Pharmacist column.
So, what is a generic medication? Simply put, a generic medication is a copy of a brand-name, or original drug. A generic tablet or capsule may not look the same as the brand-name version, as it may have different fillers, shape, or colour, but it contains the exact same active ingredient as the original product.
The active ingredient is the part of a medicine that makes it work. It produces the intended therapeutic effect, such as reducing pain, lowering blood pressure or cholesterol, helping prevent gout attacks, supporting weight loss, or treating other health problems.
Even if a pill looks different than the one you are used to, the generic medicine works just as well as the brand-name. Exceptions to this are extremely rare. For example, a particular patient may not be able to take a specific generic tablet because of an allergy to the dye used to colour it.
Here in Canada, generic medications are regulated by Health Canada. Their job is to ensure that all medications sold are manufactured properly and meet strict standards for safety, quality, and effectiveness. When a pharmaceutical company first discovers a new medication, it is granted a patent. The patent allows that company to be the only manufacturer of that drug for a set period of time. Once the patent expires, other drug manufacturers are permitted to apply to Health Canada to produce a generic version of the drug. They must provide standard scientific studies that show their generic medicine, with the same active ingredient, works the same way in the body. This means it is just as safe and works just as well as the original medicine.
One of the biggest benefits of generic medicines is that they cost less. That’s why many insurance plans require a generic medicine to be used unless there is a medical reason to use the brand-name option. In these cases, your pharmacy will provide the generic medicine instead of the brand-name one.
Generic drug companies can charge less because they do not have to spend money creating and testing a brand-new drug. They may also use more cost-effective non-medicinal ingredients (e.g. fillers and colours) in the pill, and they do not spend as much on advertising because the medicine is already well known. They pass these savings on to patients.
If you’ve read any of my previous columns, you’ll know that I love a good potato analogy when talking about concepts, something that comes naturally as the proud son and brother of a couple of New Brunswick potato farmers. To bring everything together, imagine a New Brunswick farmer who discovers and develops a brand-new type of potato. That potato represents the active ingredient in a medication. Because of the time, effort, and investment involved, the farmer is given exclusive rights to grow and sell the new potato variety for a period of time, after proving to regulators that it is safe and indeed a potato. Eventually, that exclusive period ends, and other farmers who show they have the same seed-potato and can grow the same variety begin producing it. Sure, the potatoes may come in a different package, but at the end of the day, they are still the same potato (same active ingredient). Eventually, as more farmers grow it, competition increases, and prices drop. Throughout the entire process, farms continue to be inspected and held to the same standards... as do all our drugs (brand and generic) approved for market in Canada.
Thank you again for such a thoughtful question. I hope this explanation helps you feel more confident and informed about generic medications.
Dr. Bradley Adams (BScPharm, PharmD) is a graduate of the Dalhousie University College of Pharmacy and the Memorial University of Newfoundland School of Pharmacy. He is primarily a hospital pharmacist practicing at the Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre in Moncton, NB. The views expressed in this article represent his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Vitalité Health Network. His opinions expressed in this column are published for educational and informational purposes only, and are not intended as a diagnosis, treatment or as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.