David Light is the founder of Valisure, a pharmacy that tests medications and supplements. According to their findings, generic-drug quality is not as good as we may think. Light stopped by Bold TV to talk about his company’s important findings and differences between these drug types.
Generic vs. brand name drugs
What are generic medications? They are cheaper, popular drugs that are mainly produced overseas, and they are very popular among Americans. According to the Food and Drug Administration, 9 out of 10 prescriptions filled in the U.S are for generic drugs. These medications vary in shape, size and ingredients, but they all must share the same active ingredient as the brand medication they’re mimicking.
Light highlighted the alarming differences between the medication’s production process. He says companies of branded medication spend billions of dollars on bringing a new drug into the market. On the other hand, generic brands only have to do one clinical trial and prove that their medication is within 45% of the brand’s drug. He also mentions that the information submitted to the FDA is self-reported.
Ranitidine finding
Valisure tests the chemical compounds in medications and informs health care providers about their findings. One of their most shocking finds involved the heartburn drug Zantac and its generic brand Ranitidine. Valisure found that Zantac and its generic brands “could generate high levels of NDMA in the human body.” This can cause cancer and other health issues. As a result of this find, the FDA requested the removal of Zantac and its generics from the market. Generic vs. brand name is about more than comparing prices. It’s about your well-being.
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