Generic Names For Prescription Drugs 2
Drug is defined, in broad and very non-specific terms as any substance that is taken into the body, through any means, intended to alter the body functions and processes. Drugs may be used as cures for certain medical conditions, or they may also be used purely for recreational purposes. In pharmacology, Dictionary.com defines a drug as "a chemical substance used in the treatment, cure, prevention, or diagnosis of disease or used to otherwise enhance physical or mental well-being." Drugs may be prescribed for a limited duration, or on a regular basis for chronic disorders.
There are three main types of names for drugs:
a.The Chemical Name: This is the actual IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) approved chemical name of the drug devised according to its chemical composition, structure of molecules, and/or molecular arrangement. Chemical names are usually very technical and complicated. They are not easy to remember and due to complexity of structure, researchers, doctors, teachers etc. prefer generic names over chemical names.
b.The Generic Name: This name is approved by FDA and used by doctors, researchers and pharmacists internationally. When a drug is discovered or prepared, the manufacturer has to get approval from FDA before they start selling the product in pharmacies. They also have to patent a name associated with the drug as an internationally recognized name. This name, the Generic drug name is usually a shorthand version of chemical name of the drug.
c.The Trade Name: The name devised by the manufacturer to sell the drug commercially is known as trade names. These are usually very non-technical, easy to remember and often associated with the desired output of the drug rather than its physical and/or chemical composition. A drug may be known in the masses by its trade name rather than its generic name.
So a drug typically has only one single chemical and generic name but it very well can have more than one trade name, depending on type and number of companies manufacturing it. Trade names, in specific vary manufacturer to manufacturer. For example, the drug with generic name ibuprofen is available as advil, motrin, ibutab, pediaprofen etc. just to name a few. All of these are trade names and are locally known by these or other trade names, but pharmacists and doctors all see these names as Ibuprofen. So generic names are important for doctors etc. to know whatever the trade name is, generic name always indicates the actual nature of the drug.
Brand name drugs are generally expensive compared to the generic brand drugs. The term generic is mostly related to a low-quality version of the high quality product, but in drugs’ case, the generics and the brand products should and always must have same effects. They are identical in the way they affect the body.
FTC - Generic Drugs
Prescription drugs can be a costly medical expense, especially for older people and those who are chronically ill. However, each state has a law that lets pharmacists substitute less expensive generic drugs for many brand-name products.
Generic Names For Prescription Drugs
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4 ways to lower your prescription drug costs
A recent trend in prescription drugs has been that insurance plans and coverage have gotten more complex. When in the past, the only real question was “brand name or generic”, there now can be three or four “tiers” of drugs.
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