How Safe Are Generic Drugs?

Gram for gram, they’re every bit as good as brand names

You search for savings in the supermarket and bargains at the mall. Yet when it comes to prescription drugs, chances are you think an expensive brand name is better than a generic.

Think again! “Despite the public myth to the contrary, generic drugs are as safe and effective as brands,” says Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network pharmacist Heidi Mayville.

Just like their big-name counterparts, generics—typically made by smaller companies—are regulated carefully by the federal government. Active ingredients are identical in quantity and quality to those in brand-name drugs.

Inactive ingredients such as fillers, dyes and preservatives can vary. “These are what sometimes cause side effects,” Mayville says. “But you can have side effects from inactive ingredients in both brand names and generics.”

Some generics may actually be safer in this regard, says Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network geriatrician Francis Salerno, M.D. “It’s usually too costly for the manufacturer to change the formula once it’s on the market,” he says. “That gives generic drug makers a chance to learn from others’ mistakes.”

When a drug company patents a new product, it has 17 years of protection (to recoup development costs) before anyone can make a generic version. Not sure if a generic is available yet? Ask your doctor or pharmacist.

There are a few cases where you actually should stick with the brand name, Mayville says. “With Coumadin (warfarin) and Dilantin (phenytoin), you need a very specific level of drug in your body. Even a slight variation could cause side effects or make the drug ineffective.”

Most of the time, though, switching from brand to generic doesn’t require any special precautions. In fact, you may not even be switching manufacturers. “The big pharmaceutical companies are tapping into the lucrative generic market with spin-off companies,” Mayville says. “So it’s entirely possible the company that makes your generic makes the brand name, too!”

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