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Old 09-24-2019, 07:03 AM
 
14,394 posts, read 11,167,028 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bluedevilz View Post
^ This

You can absolutely request the next prescription for Uloric be written Dispense as Written....its just a box to tick labeled DAW



Your mother will have to pay more for it than the generic but otherwise shouldn't be an issue.
"Pay more" might be hundreds of dollars a month.
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Old 09-24-2019, 07:07 AM
 
14,394 posts, read 11,167,028 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gocards86 View Post
Not to sound ignorant or anything with the drug being produced in India do they follow the same strict FDA standards they do here at home?

Meaning who inspects the factory for quality control? do regulators here in the U.S inspect the drugs to make sure they are formulated like uloric not harmful etc?

I've just seen too many reports lately on the news with tainted generics such as the blood pressure meds generic Zantac etc.
I wouldn't have any issues taking generics from India. I do all the time. And for them to be FDA approved in this country means they have to meet US standards.

Chinese drugs are a different story.

As to generics overall, most drugs are essentially the same and have to have a therapeutic effect within a certain +/- percentage of the original.

For something like an antibiotic it's generally not an issue. Not sure where uloric acid comes in but I suspect it's similar if it's something you take once a day and it's designed to remove a substance from your body.

For something like an ADHD medication or other one with a certain longer release period it's a "try and see if it works" as it may be at a macro level the same dosage but may kick in differently, not last as long, etc. And even then it might be fine but just require an adjustment period.
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Old 09-24-2019, 09:06 AM
 
6,079 posts, read 4,441,758 times
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One of the reasons drugs behave differently when they come from different manufacturers are the supposedly "inert" ingredients and you have no way of knowing how they'll behave in your system until you take them.

As far as India vs. China, the only time I ever made a complaint to the FDA about a generic drug, it was made in India. I personally think generic drugs are about the same as buying them from some guy on the corner: a total crapshoot and no clue what you're really getting.

Also, DAW guarantees nothing. I have insurance that doesn't give a hoot if the doctor writes DAW and left a pharmacy only to find that every other pharmacy in the state doesn't have to care because the insurance will only pay for the cheapest thing on the shelf.
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Old 09-24-2019, 09:19 AM
 
Location: City Data Land
17,156 posts, read 12,912,897 times
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I agree. I don't care what greedy insurance companies say; the generic is not always as good as the brand name. I've taken a couple of drugs brand name only because they just don't work as well in generic. If she hasn't tried the generic yet, it is worth trying. It's worthy of note that there are different manufacturers of different generic drugs, however. I was taking a generic of a certain drug that came in this awful diamond shape. Not only was it difficult to swallow, it left a nasty powdery residue in my hands and an awful taste. I asked my pharmacy to switch me to a generic made by a different manufacturer and they did without a problem.
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Old 09-24-2019, 12:54 PM
 
Location: Haiku
7,132 posts, read 4,749,557 times
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You might want to read this article from NPR, which is a review of a book on the generic drug industry.

Apparently a lot of generics are made in India but there have been some real problems with quality control there. The US FDA is supposed to inspect Indian plants but for various reasons there have been failures with that.

So, being wary of generics is warranted if they are made outside the US. Ask your pharmacist where the generic was made.

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-...eric-drug-boom
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Old 09-24-2019, 02:10 PM
 
17,492 posts, read 15,086,108 times
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Uloric runs about $354 for a 30 day supply


The generic is about $160 for a 30 day supply


Long story short, as others have said, if you want the name brand, you'd have to be prepared to pay for it.

All told.. I've never had an issue with a generic. The biggest one that I've used is Sumatriptan and i've gotten them that have been made by Dr Reddy, Mylan and several others. Going from paying about $30 a pill when there was no generic to where it now costs about a buck a dose...



Your mileage may vary, obviously. But the India based pharmaceutical companies are fairly reliable. They're required to have the same active ingredients. It's the rest of what's in them that can vary.
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Old 09-24-2019, 02:27 PM
 
Location: McAllen, TX
5,947 posts, read 5,433,075 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gocards86 View Post
My mother has been Taking uloric for about 4 years now for her Gout. Her insurance stopped covering the name brand of the Drug and wants to switch her over to the Generic which was approved back in July.

Shes not comfortable taking the generic version as the name brand one has worked well and is nervous about it. Would there be a way to discuss this with her doctor and for them to discuss it with the insurance on keeping her on the name brand version for piece of mind? Or do you think the insurance is prob going to hold firm on the generic?

I know Generic drugs by law are required to work the same as the original but I have heard stories not all do. Even thought I have no problem with her taking it shes the one taking it so I'm trying to accommodate her in that respect.
I have no idea how much you are paying for name brand.

These are the prices on goodrx.com. In my area, the best price is $98 for (30) generic 40mg pills.
Best price for name brand is $335. All I can say is "ouch", that's $10 a pill. You can switch by using the drop down menus on the type and mg.

https://www.goodrx.com/uloric

These are drugs in the same class, you may want to ask you doctor if you can switch. I see much cheaper prices on the Zyloprim, a comparable drug.

https://www.goodrx.com/xanthine-oxidase-inhibitors
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Old 09-24-2019, 03:00 PM
 
Location: Raleigh
13,661 posts, read 12,341,234 times
Reputation: 20109
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gocards86 View Post
Not to sound ignorant or anything with the drug being produced in India do they follow the same strict FDA standards they do here at home?

Meaning who inspects the factory for quality control? do regulators here in the U.S inspect the drugs to make sure they are formulated like uloric not harmful etc?

I've just seen too many reports lately on the news with tainted generics such as the blood pressure meds generic Zantac etc.
The FDA inspects them.

But I just looked at two name brand and a generic that were in my medicine cabinet. One name brand was manufactured by another well known name brand. The other was manufactured by the same name brand in India. So if you look at the bottle your mom currently has, it likely could be made in India.
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Old 09-24-2019, 06:27 PM
 
21,382 posts, read 7,900,597 times
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Generic is not the same as brand.

Fillers and inactive agents are different. You may have a problem with any of them.

Bioavailability (basically how much of the 'real' drug affects you) can be 80% to 125% of the brand name formula.

So you could be getting 20% less or 25% more. You don't know. Some people do fine on generic, some don't. It can be dangerous with psychotropic drugs.
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Old 09-24-2019, 06:38 PM
 
4,985 posts, read 3,941,543 times
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"...keeping her on the name brand version for piece of mind?"
how much is her "piece (peace) of mind" worth to her and you?

"Or do you think the insurance is prob going to hold firm on the generic?"
yes.
firm.
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