Not all people can afford medications. Given this reason, millions have no choice but to skip taking it. Though they still want to get well, their budget makes it impossible for them to do so especially that the prices of these medications have risen dramatically over the years.
Because of the need for cheaper drugs, generic drugs were created. Containing the same active ingredients as compared to the branded ones, these kinds of drugs are embraced by the market since the cost of their medications is much cheaper. An example of a generic drug used for diabetes is metformin. Also, when it comes to hypertension, an example of a generic drug used for it is metoprolol, as posted in a health blog named Medicinet.
Generic drugs are very important for people, especially to those who are taking their maintenance. With the use of these drugs, people can now take their medication without compromising a bigger part of their budget.
But did you know that experts recently found why most of these generic drugs could possibly cause more harm than good? Despite the increasing number of people using this, experts found how this kind of drug won't deliver the same good effects as compared to their counterpart.
Most people think every drug is the same, but the experts say otherwise. Though some drug companies still aim to produce drugs that can be both beneficial for them and their user, unfortunately, some do not.
According to an online news platform TIME, some drug companies have a dark secret, "they routinely adjust their manufacturing standards depending on the country buying their drugs, a practice that could endanger not just those who take the lower-quality medicine but the population at large". Given this reason, generic drugs found in the European Union and the US are often created at a higher quality as compared to other countries, which experts regard as the "R.O.W. markets" or "Rest of World" market, such as Africa and other developing countries.
Westerberg's Ugandan colleagues are one of those who witness the inefficiency and ineffectiveness of these generic drugs. That was when some of their patients died even after they were given generic drugs. Even after taking it, the drugs were still not able to address their illnesses, which caused their health situation to grow worse.
Meanwhile, it is crucial to remember that not all generic medicines are unsafe to consume. Some are actually very effective to use. But experts are reminding the users to always be wise in choosing medicines they take since it is still very hard to determine whether the specific drug is good to use or not.
