The difference between brand name and generic drugs is in the circumstances of producing the drugs. While brand name drug refers to the name given by the producing company, generic drug refers to a drug produced after the active ingredient of the brand name drug.
Generic drugs will, however, be sold under different brand names, but will contain the same active ingredients as the brand-name drug. But with regards to the effectiveness of the drugs, generic drugs have the same quality active ingredient as brand name drugs.
For branding purposes, generic drugs are not the same in look, color, taste, and shape as the brand name drugs and must have its unique brand name. It means you will get different drug names with the same active ingredients, and this active ingredient is what refers to the generic drug.
How do brand names and generic drugs differ?
The difference is the inactive ingredient contained in the drugs. Since the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) is particular about the active ingredients, generic and brand name drugs’ inactive ingredients are different.
This is why it is important to look through the ingredient list on the drug label to see if there are any ingredients not good for you.
Why do generic drugs are different in color and flavor?
Trade laws forbid generic drugs to look exactly like brand-name drugs but must all have the same active ingredients for the same medicinal effects.
These differences often come from non-active ingredients used such as dyes, fillers, and preservatives, which help to determine the size, shape, and color.
Some reasons why your medications may not work at their best.
- You may not be taking medications correctly or you could be taking other drugs that interfere with your medications. Some medications work best when taken at certain times of the day or with special regard to meals. With complicated dosing schedules, people can forget to take medications or not take the correct doses at the correct time.
- You may be eating an improper diet. You may not know this, but certain foods can interact with your medications.
- Misreading can also happen at your doctor’s office or even in a laboratory. Make sure your results make sense and discuss results with your doctor since this can affect how your medications work.
- You could have other medical conditions that are affecting the way your medications work. Hormonal issues, poor metabolism, poor sleep, high blood pressure, or stomach conditions could change the effect of your medications. It is important to inform all your doctors about any other conditions you may have to help avoid these problems. Some of these conditions could change how effective a medication is, and knowing about your other conditions will help your doctor make a plan that is best for you.
What are the duties of medication consumers if they are not working as expected?
The fact that it is so easy/cheaper to make a fake product look like the original one means that unsuspecting members of the public can be easily fooled into buying and consuming this product, we are all saddled with the responsibility of being alert.
Fake or counterfeit includes not only products that are the exact opposite of what they are labelled for example paracetamol which is just peppermint but also includes contaminated, containing the wrong or no active ingredient, or active ingredient in the wrong dose. Ingesting fake or counterfeit drugs could be disastrous and should be seen as a serious crime.
One should make it a habit to always check if a product is genuine in Nigeria NAFDAC has a handy tool for this- all medication should have a NAFDAC registration number, so before consumption do a quick check to see the genuineness of the medication using:
- NAFDAC Mobile Authentication Service (MAS) can be accessed by scratching the silver panel on the outer part of the drug; after which you send the 10-digit number that appeared on the scratched silver panel to 38353. Or check the NAFDAC Greenbook (Registered Drugs Database) at https://www.nafdac.gov.ng/drugs/
- If the number is unrecognized then go to https://www.nafdac.gov.ng/complaints to make an inquiry or complaint. Ensure you have relevant information like the name of the product and when/where it was got. For necessary action to be taken to recall the product and remove it from circulation.
- Or kindly contact Novo Health Africa, your Health Maintenance Organization on 014901990 / 07080609400 with all relevant information promptly for further investigation and escalation as necessary.
Please note that we are not advocates for any medication brand, hence no preference but we are concerned about the effectiveness, safety, and recovery of our enrollees.