Hi mikeau:
Thanks for the interesting question.
The first thing you should keep in mind is that we researchers at
Google Answers are NOT doctors and do not dispense medical advice.
Before taking *any* drug (generic or not), you should consult with
your doctor.
Basically, when taking generic drugs, you are playing the game "Who do I trust?"
To start with, let's see what the FDA says:
Therapeutic Equivalence of Generic Drugs - Letter to Health Practitioners
URL: http://www.fda.gov/cder/news/nightgenlett.htm
Quote: "For both brand-name and generic drugs, FDA works with
pharmaceutical companies to assure that all drugs marketed in the U.S.
meet specifications for identity, strength, quality, purity and
potency. In approving a generic drug product, the FDA requires many
rigorous tests and procedures to assure that the generic drug is
interchangeable with the brand-name drug under all approved
indications and conditions of use. For these reasons, FDA approved
product labeling does not recommend that any additional tests need to
be performed by the health care provider when a switch occurs from a
brand-name drug product to a generic equivalent drug product, from a
generic equivalent to a brand-name product drug, or from one generic
product to another when both are deemed equivalent to a brand-name
drug product....In addition to tests performed prior to market entry,
FDA regularly assesses the quality of products in the marketplace and
thoroughly researches and evaluates reports of alleged drug product
inequivalence. To date, there are no documented examples of a generic
product manufactured to meet its approved specifications that could
not be used interchangeably with the corresponding brand-name drug. "
So, basically, the FDA is telling you that if a generic drug has gone
through its testing, then it is as safe as the brand-name equivalent.
The FDA puts out an "Orange Book", that identifies brand names and all
their equivalent (in effect, ingredients, and safety) generics. This
book can be found at:
Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations - Orange Book
URL: http://www.fda.gov/cder/orange/default.htm
Now, getting back to drugs bought online, from spam-like email solicitations...
In many (but not all) cases these drugs are *fakes* - not valid
generic equivalents of the original products. *Proceed with extreme
caution!*
An excellent article outlining this problem can be found at:
Generic Drugs Bought Online Short on Quality Control
URL: http://health.yahoo.com/news/35695
Quote: "These results are in line with a U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) analysis this month of three drugs -- Viagra,
Lipitor and Ambien -- obtained from a Web site advertised as Canadian.
The FDA described the drugs as "fake, substandard and potentially
dangerous...Although many Americans feel they have no choice because
of cost considerations, the message from the FDA and now this study is
to exercise caution when purchasing drugs online...Until then, 'an
ask-your-physician line is good. If you bring back something from
another country, please ask your physician if it is the same dose and
the same quality.'"
And, yes, the manufacturers of the brand-name drugs *do* have a vested
interest in keeping you away from generics. However, when the generic
is one tested and approved by the FDA, they have no case. When it is
untested and unapproved - they *do* have a case.
So my non-medical advice to you - print out any email solicitation
you're interested in and check it with your physician before you even
consider purchasing online drugs from spam emailers.
Search Strategy (on Google):
* "generic drugs" dangerous
* "generic drugs" safe
I hope this helps.
websearcher |
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