Generic vs Brand Name Prescription Medications for Pets
When a pet requires medication from the pharmacy it can be costly. It always is good to ask your veterinarian or pharmacist if a generic is available. Just like in a human pharmacy, pet meds can offer generics to the brand names out there. For example, Rimadyl, Clavamox, Reglan, Augmentin, and many more.
A generic drug is able to be in the marketplace after a brand name has been on the market for about seven years. The seven years is thought to give the brand name manufacturer time to recoup costs from research and development of the product. After that, generic companies are free to apply to the FDA to produce a generic of the original product. The generic version must pass bioavailability studies showing it is similar enough to produce the same effect of the original. The generic version is generally less money since the company did not have to go through the research and development process. For example, Clavamox 62.5mg and 125mg tablets are now available as Amoxicillin Trihydrate and Clavulanate Potassium 62.5mg and 125mg. Cost of the generic medication is roughly 30 percent less.
There is plenty of incentive in the lower cost to try a generic. The Purple Book, a book released by the FDA, lists what generic drugs are the closest to the brand. If you have questions, you can always call and ask the pharmacist to look up the rating from The Purple Book to put your mind at ease in trying a generic.
-Julie, R.Ph.
Pharmacist in Charge
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