Generic vs. Brand Name Drugs

Although the sharp rise in health care inflation has many causes, a major contributor is the dramatically increasing cost of prescription drugs. According to a report from the National Institute for Health Care Management Research and Educational Foundation (NIHCM Foundation), "Although expenditures for prescription drugs are still a relatively small portion of overall health care spending (around 9 percent in 2000), the rise in drug spending in the last few years has contributed disproportionately to an upturn in health care costs and health insurance premiums. " The NIHCM Foundation report also points out that some researchers have attributed a full one-third of the cost increase for employer-based health insurance on the rise in prescription drug costs.

Employers increasingly are sharing costs of health insurance benefits with their associates, encouraging more responsible use of benefits. 

What's the difference between generic and brand name drugs?
Name and price. Currently, about 55 percent of prescription drugs available have generic equivalents. By law, generics and brand name medications must meet the same standards for safety, strength, purity and effectiveness. Each generic medication is laboratory-tested to ensure the same amount of drug will be absorbed into the bloodstream.

Although generics are chemically identical to their name brand counterparts, generics typically cost from 30 percent to 75 percent less. According to the Congressional Budget Office, generic drugs save consumers an estimated $8 billion to $10 billion a year at retail pharmacies. Even more billions are saved when hospitals use generics.

Some Facts about Generic Drugs

• A generic drug is made with the same active ingredients and is available in the same strength and dosage as the equivalent brand name drug.
• The manufacturing process of all drugs is strictly regulated by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the same standards are met by all manufacturers.
• Many of the generic drugs approved by the FDA are manufactured by companies that also make brand name drugs.
• Health care professional, including the American Medical Association, strongly support the use of generic drugs.
• Four of the top ten selling drugs in the United States by prescription volume in 2000 were generics.

Resources: National Institute for Health Care Management Research and Educational Foundation. Access the NIHCM Foundation report "Prescription Drug Expenditures in 2001. Another Year of Escalating Costs" online at www.nihcm.org/spending2001.pdf.

Protect Yourself From RX Errors

About 2% to 3% of the prescriptions picked up by Americans every year contain errors. That amounts to millions of mistakes in the three billion prescriptions filled annually. 

Prescription errors can be caused by overwork and fatigue, distraction, hard-to-read handwriting, errors in phone transmission, under trained pharmacy technicians, and lack of complete patient data.

To protect yourself from prescription errors:

• Make sure you understand what your doctor is prescribing - the medicine's name and why you need to take it.
• Check the label at the pharmacy. If something doesn't look right, ask the pharmacist about it.
• Before ordering refills, save the last pill or capsule. Match it with the refill and if it looks different, ask why. It could be the same drug in a generic form, but don't assume that.
• Preferably use one pharmacy to fill all of you prescriptions and make sure all your medication (as well as any drug allergies) are entered on the pharmacy computer - both prescription and over-the-counter products.

Source: Institute for Safe Medication Practices

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1. Eat less bread and potatoes - and more brightly colored vegetables. Then boost their favor and "satisfaction factor" by sautéing them with a little extra-virgin olive oil. This also gives you a supply of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats.
2. Eat more, smaller meals - throughout the day to help blood sugar levels stable.
3. Resist oversize food portions - In Europe, where people are much thinner; fast-food containers are about one-third smaller than ours.
4. Don't shun peanut butter - or other nut butters (unless, of course, you're allergic to them). While high in calories, a little goes a long way because the fats and protein keep you feeling full longer (and the fats are healthy ones). Studies have shown that people who eat a little nut butter every day lose more weight than people who snack on refined carbohydrate foods.
5. Snack on trail mix - A handful of nuts, seeds, and raisins or other dried fruit is very satisfying. While not especially low in calories, it's filling so you'll eat less.
6. Go for a walk after dinner - Throughout your day, drive less and walk more.
7. Make healthy food choices - for most of your meals, then allow yourself to splurge on a dessert or other favorite food. Staying slim isn't about deprivation.

Source: Natural Health, Vol. 32, No. 5

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Did you know?

Health flip-flops
A few examples of scientific flip-flops - one-time health truths that are no longer so…

NO LONGER TRUE:
Eating foods high in calcium causes kidney stones.
New research shows that, in fact, eating more high-calcium foods may actually reduce the risk of kidney stones. It's oxalate-rich foods that seem to be the problem - like spinach and rhubarb.

NO LONGER TRUE:
Stress has nothing to do with ulcers.
Many years ago, doctors did in fact blame ulcers on stress. Then they discovered that people with Helicobacter pylori bacteria seemed prone to ulcers, and they switched the blame to H. pylori.

But no doctors believe that, although H. pylori does play a role in causing ulcers in many people, stress is also a culprit. And the two together greatly increase the risk of getting an ulcer.

NO LONGER TRUE:
Ear infections require antibiotics.
Not all earaches are the result of bacteria in the ear. Often, the pain is simply the result of fluid in the middle ear pressing against the eardrum.

And even when bacteria are present, research has shown that children often get better on their own - without antibiotics.

But if your child isn't better within a couple of days, a trip to the doctor may be necessary.

NO LONGER TRUE:
Hormone replacement therapy after menopause helps prevent heart disease.
The newest research has shown that at least one form of hormone replacement therapy (Prempro Premarin plus a synthetic progestin) not only does not help prevent heart disease, but may actually increase a woman's risk.

Other types and forms of HRT haven't been studied enough yet to know whether they behave the same way in terms of heart disease risk (see Doc Talk on page 7 for more on this subject).

NO LONGER TRUE:
Dietary fat is bad.
Some fats - in moderation - are actually good for you.

Monounsaturated fats, like those found in olive and canola oils, can be heart-healthy. Some groups of people who get up to 40% of their calories from monounsaturated fats have very low rates of heart disease.

Another healthy fat is the one found in some fish (e.g., salmon, tuna), flaxseed, and walnuts. It's called an oemga-3 fatty and trans fatty acids, on the other hand, need to be kept to a minimum.

Saturated fats are found in animal products. Trans fatty acids are found in hydrogenated vegetable oils like those used in shortening and many store-bought baked goods.

Source: Hope Heart Institute, Seattle

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