By D. Cannon
Did you know that in Canada, the government sets the price for all brand-name drugs? This fixed price medication market keeps wild fluctuations and unfair practices out of pharmacies and drug stores, and helps maintain accessibility to the medicine people need, when they need them.
Canadian generic drugs are made with the same formulas as brand-name drugs, and sell for a far cheaper price. Again, the Canadian government casts a watchful eye on the quality of the end product, as well as the circumstances under which these generic drugs are manufactured.
Those who buy drugs from Canada, therefore, can expect a consistent and high level of quality from both their branded and generic prescriptions. This is not always the case in other countries where such a regimen is not enforced by the government.
Anyone can buy Canadian generic prescriptions or brand-name drugs as long as they have the correct prescription from their primary care doctor. (Minors must present the signature of their legal guardian.)
Not all medications have a generic equivalent, but physicians generally prescribe the generic whenever possible, unless the branded product is requested. That's how trustworthy generic medicine has become. Over half the prescriptions dispensed in the United States today are generic, as opposed to only 19% generic drug sales in 1984.
What's the difference between a brand-name drug and its generic equivalent? Nothing except the name and the price. Now, the brand name pharmaceutical manufacturers would have you believe otherwise. Seriously threatened by the efficacy and economy of generic equivalents, these manufacturers constantly plot to undermine them in the eyes of the public, as well as the doctors who prescribe them.
Some of the shady schemes created by the brand-name manufacturers to discredit generics include suppressing scientific research, phony patients who lobby lawmakers, and even false advertising.
The fact is that all drugs that are prescribed and sold to the public must be approved by the Canadian government or the FDA. Standards for quality are exhaustively set and regulated to maintain excellence and consistency.
The FDA has, in fact, carried out exhaustive studies on its own to assure the quality of generic drugs. Not only have they consistently found generics to be worthy, but several brand-name products were recalled as a result.
There is absolutely no evidence that generics are not as strong, efficient or safe as branded drugs. Nor are generics from Canada or the U.S. manufactured in sub-standard labs.
The price of brand-named drugs has skyrocketed out of control in the past few generations; hence the significant rise in use of U.S. or Canadian generic prescriptions.
What's in a name? Well, unless you're Calvin Klein, not much. Not in drugs these days, anyway.
About the Author: D.Cannon writes on a variety of subjects and recommends http://www.diseaseinforx.com for more information.
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