Not Far Different Quality, This Is A Difference Between Generic And Patent Drugs

Illustration of generic drugs and patents (Muscha/Pixabay).

YOGYAKARTA Most people must have heard the terms generic drugs and patents, considering that drugs are one of the most sought after items when sick. So, what is the difference between generic drugs and patents?

Differences in Generic and Patent Drugs

Compiled by VOI from various sources, the difference between generic drugs and patents is not from material or quality. However, whether the drug is still under patent protection or not.

In more detail, here are the differences in generic drugs and patents that you should know about.

Generik Drugs

The generic drug is a drug whose patent period has expired so that it can be produced by all pharmaceutical companies. The generic drug is divided into two types, namely a generic drug with a logo (OGB) and a generic drug with a trademark.

The generic drug with the logo is a drug whose name is the same as the content of the active substance and includes a generic logo. The generic drug with the logo is sold at a relatively affordable price because it does not require promotional costs.

Meanwhile, what is meant by a generic drug with a generic trademark (branded generic) is the type of drug that includes the name of the company where the drug is produced.

Prices of branded drugs tend to be more expensive even though they contain the same active substance as generic drugs. This is because branded drugs require extra costs for marketing.

Patent Medicine

Patent drugs are new drugs circulated by pharmaceutical companies and have patents. Thus, patent drugs are the forerunner of generic drugs.

Patent drugs can be generic drugs if their patents expire. Patents usually last for 20 years.

If a drug is still under patent protection, no one is allowed to produce or market the drug without a permit.

One example of a patent drug isjutant (active substance content: sildenafil sistratet) produced by a pharmaceutical company from the United States, Pfizer. Now the date ofthe date ofthe date ofthe date has expired, so pharmaceutical companies other than Pfizer are allowed to produce a sitrat sildenafil.

Why is the Patent Price of Drugs Highly High?

The cause of patent drugs is sold at a very expensive price because they cost a lot of money when developing new drugs.

To find new drugs, a pharmaceutical company costs for research, large-scale trials, manufacturing costs, and also marketing costs.

While generic drugs don't require large-scale research and trial because they have been done before, so it doesn't cost too much.

Generik Medicine Quality is not much different from Patents

As mentioned above, the price of patent drugs tends to be expensive because it requires a lot of money for the development of new drugs. When the patent period ends, other pharmaceutical companies can produce and sell a generic version of the original compound as long as they have permission from related parties.

Manufacturers must be able to prove that their products contain the same active substance as previous patent products. Not only that, the producers are also required to maintain the same form of preparation (cair, pills, capsil, injection, topical, and others), concentration, and dose as the original drug.

In this regard, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) provided conditions that the generic version should be pure and stable like the patent drug.

Although the active ingredient must be the same as the original drug, generic drugs are allowed to contain different additional ingredients, such as preservatives or fillings. The trademark law prevents generic drugs from looking like patent drugs, so the colors and size may differ.

That's information about differences in generic drugs and patents. The generic drugs and patents of quality are not much different from patents, provided they are consumed properly.