Often confusion can occur about which drug is better to choose a patent or generic drug.
Most people know the difference between generic and patent drugs in terms of price. You can buy generic drugs at a lower price. Meanwhile, to buy patented drugs usually need to pay higher costs.
The price difference often makes people think that patented drugs are better than generics. However, is it entirely correct? It turns out that both types of substances are equally effective for treating.
Also Read: What is Obat Generik Berlogo (OGB)?
So, what is the difference between the two? To understand it completely, we will explain the difference between the two.
Understand the Difference between Generic and Patent Drugs
The purpose of drugs are substances to prevent, reduce, eliminate, and cure various diseases and symptoms of health problems. When someone falls ill, this substance will be a good solution to overcome it.
Not a few patients ask doctors to prescribe patents instead of generics without really knowing the difference between generics and patents. For this reason, the public needs to get the correct information regarding these two types.
The assumption about the effectiveness of generic products that are worse than patents is wildly inaccurate. This is because both have gone through the production process and clinical testing according to standards to be suitable for curing diseases.
What is Patent Medicine?
The main difference between generic and patent drugs lies in the production process. A patent product is a type of substance that has just been produced and marketed by certain pharmaceutical companies and has obtained a patent.
The consequence of the ownership of the patent is that only the pharmaceutical company can produce the product. Meanwhile, other pharmaceutical companies cannot create or market it without the company’s permission holding the patent.
The difference between generic and patent drugs in terms of price stems from the length of the production process. It starts from clinical research testing to registering to obtain patents that require high costs.
So it is not surprising that their products are also priced higher in the market. A pharmaceutical company’s patent may expire if it is not extended. The validity of this right in Indonesia is about 20 years.
Suppose the pharmaceutical company does not extend the patent period. In that case, other companies can produce similar substances using the same active substance. However, the carriers are different and require further testing before they are marketed.
What is Generic Medicine
To fully understand the difference between generics and patents, you must, of course, know what generic drugs are. If patent-type medical products are produced exclusively by pharmaceutical companies, what about generic types?
Of course, the producers of these substances are also pharmaceutical companies that have production permits. However, the product is not initial. Instead, it is made after the patent period expires so that all companies can produce it.
Because it can be produced without paying for a patent, the difference between generic and patent drugs is most visible in terms of price. The first pharmaceutical company did not fully disclose the recipe.
Even so, the ingredients in generic products remain the same. Their effectiveness in curing disease is also as good. Meanwhile, the advantage is that the price is lower to access all groups of people.
The difference between generic and patent drugs can also be seen in the type. Generic products consist of two kinds, namely logo, and brand.
1. Generic Medicines with the Logo
It is a product that displays a generic logo that does not display the name of the manufacturer or pharmaceutical company. This type is usually cheaper because it does not require promotional costs.
2. Branded Generic
It is a generic product with the brand (brand) of the pharmaceutical company that produces it. The selling price is usually higher than the previous type.
Both patent and generic products have ingredients that are useful for curing diseases as long as the dosage follows the rules. After knowing the difference between generic and patent drugs, you can choose according to your needs.
Also Read: This is the Kind of Symbol for Drugs, There is a Logo on Hard Drugs!
Read more about health tips and medicine here. You can find a list of medicines that we distribute based on our partner medicine production companies on our principals page. If you are a medicine manufacturer or medicine retailer who needs cooperation and more information about Mandira as a pharmaceutical distributor, please contact us here.