只是一个观点,仅供参考。
Are generic drugs really the same quality as the name brands?
Not necessarily. In the past decade more and more API’s (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients) in the US have been imported from foreign countries, largely India and China. This number has grown to a whopping 80%.[1] Also, 40% of finished drugs (OTC and prescription) are imported.[2] While most of the API’s are manufactured to fairly high standards there’s been numerous warnings and import bans issued by the FDA from Indian and Chinese manufacturers.[3] In the last 10 years, there’s been a well-known problem with the effectiveness of anti-seizure medications.[4] Similar problems have been reported with other classes of drugs, especially those with an NTI (Narrow Therapeutic Index).[5][6] A study of the cancer drug Taxotere (docetaxel) showed large variations in both content and purity in samples taken from several countries.[7]Many generics are around the 85% mark (85–125% is acceptable*). Many also don't meet USP purity standards which vary from drug to drug. Typically quality sampling is the sole domain of the manufacturers and studies like this are rare. 

To compound the problem it’s next to impossible to know where the API’s in your medications come from.[8] While drug makers are required to keep a paper trail of where they are sourcing their ingredients been admitted that up to a quarter of API’s from China come from unknown sources.[9] The US no longer manufactures antibiotics domestically and China now produces 90% of the world’s supply.[10] What you can do to help protect yourself from substandard medications: - Educate yourself
- Ask for brand names over generics. In some states your right to ask for generics is restricted by law. In this case your doctor must write Brand Name Medically Necessary or DAW (Draw As Written) on the prescription.
- If your insurance company does not pay for generics you can ask your doctor to complete a Prior Authorization (PA) form that specifies the reasons that generics are not suitable for you. This may lead to extra cost and hassle and the approval may be denied. Check the data sheets to see if certain generics have different inactive ingredients than the brand name. Having an allergy to a certain inactive ingredient is an acceptable reason for preference.
- Ask your pharmacist for Authorized Generics (AG’s). These are made by the same maker as the brand name with the same inactive ingredients.
- Go on forums such as Drugs.com and see and see what other patients are saying about the particular generic you are prescribed. Some makers/generics are certainly better and patients are often the only ones who can really know.
- If you are doing well on generics put in a request with your pharmacy to stay on that particular brand of generic. Pharmacies frequently change brands based on cost and supply.
- Advocate. File complaints for adverse reactions to generic medications, even if they seem minor. Write your congressman about your concerns over the FDA’s lack of power and funding regarding the quality and control over sourcing and manufacturing. Share this information with your friends and health care providers.
While some people would say this is fear mongering there’s real evidence to back this up. The loss of jobs and control over quality due to outsourcing of manufacturing has become a major problem. In 2013 Congress authorized additional funding and the requirement that overseas manufacturing plants to be inspected as often as domestic plants, however the total number of inspectors is very small and China in particular has refused visas for inspectors.[11] I’m not seeing that this problem will improve any time soon. *To be proper, when a generic is first submitted for approval 90% of test subjects must show blood concentrations within 85%-125% of the levels obtained during brand name clinical trials. Often this in vivo test is only performed with the highest dose made and waived for smaller doses. Subsequent ANDA (Abbreviated New Drug Approval) for the same medication made by different companies often get a “biowaiver” by only showing that the medication is made in an approved way with same or similar inactive ingredients. Also, it can’t be assumed that brand-names are free from problems. Manufacturing plants that make brand-names both domestically and foreign have received warnings from the FDA. From what I’ve deduced it seems that any maker can change the supplier of it’s active ingredients by just filing some paperwork as long as they aren’t under investigation for making a substandard product. EDIT: There’s also the issue of what constitutes quality. The focus has been almost entirely on the active ingredients however there’s other considerations in a finished drug product such as: - Ease of use/swallowing
- Appearance
- Taste
- Integrity
- Smell
- Type, quantity, and quality of excipients (inactive ingredients)
I’ve been a user of the antiepileptic Lamictal on and off since it came out. Recently there’s been generics produced in India that are more difficult to swallow, tastes bad, and has user reports of not working well or causing side effects. Below is a side by side comparison of the innovator product and the “identical” product made by AvKare Inc. The original has potato based starchwhile the generic has corn starch which may a reaction in individuals with corn allergy. 
Some pills are mostly lactose and can cause problems if you are lactose intolerant. This is a very important topic because it affects so many people who use and need medications. The color, quality and consistency of your medications should not change every other time you get your prescription filled. Footnotes
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