Brand name drugs vs generic drugs. What’s the difference? This has always caused a lot of confusion for patients. Every drug has 2 names, one brand name and one generic name. The generic name is the name of the active chemical compound in the drug. The brand name is the name used by the drug company to sell and market the drug. Drugs can have multiple brand names, if multiple drug companies market and sell the drug. But medications can only have one generic name. Both brand name and generic drugs are approved and regulated by the FDA. Generic drugs have the same side effects, risks and benefits as the brand name drugs. 

Brand name drug v generic drug: What’s the difference?

Doctors may use the brand name and generic names interchangeably when talking about your medication. For example, we use brand name Humira when talking about the drug adalimumab (for obvious reasons, that one is a real mouth full). When talking about brand name coumadin, a common blood thinner, we will often times just say warfarin because it is so common and everyone knows what we are talking about.

Sometimes I will even use a medication’s brand name and generic name in the same sentence without even thinking about it. I know I shouldn’t do that because it is confusing, but it’s like second nature to me.  If you’re confused about brand names versus generic names then don’t hesitate to ask which drug your doctor is talking about. 

Generic drugs are generally a lot cheaper than brand name drugs because the drug company that developed the medication no longer has a patent on it. Drug companies hold a patent on brand name drugs and these patents usually last for 20 years before they expire. When a patent expires, then other companies can produce the same medication for a cheaper price.

There are two general reasons why other companies will produce the medication for a cheaper price. One reason is that the second company doesn’t have to pay for the initial research and development to bring the medication to market. The second reason is due to market forces. Other companies will be producing the same medication so they will try to make their prices competitive. 

Price Breakdown

When I go to a pharmacy to get over the counter medications, I always get the generic. There is no need to buy a brand name over the counter medication. For example, Flonase is a popular brand name nasal spray. It’s generic name is fluticasone. These are commonly used for sinus congestion, nasal allergies etc. There is no actual difference between Flonase 50mcg and fluticasone 50mcg except for bright packaging and the cost. 

I walked into a local pharmacy here in Denver to look at the price difference between brand name Flonase and generic drug fluticasone. Both drugs were literally sitting side by side on the pharmacy shelf. Flonase is in a bright colorful plastic package while fluticasone is in a dull colored box. Both are 50mcg doses. Flonase is made by Glaxo-Smith-Kline (GSK) and the generic fluticasone is made by Apotex Corp.

The Flonase bottle provides 60 sprays and costs $15.39, while the fluticasone bottle provides 120 sprays for $8.99. If you break down the cost to cents per spray, then Flonase costs 25 cents per spray and fluticasone costs 7 cents per spray. Flonase is >3x the cost per spray of fluticasone. And remember these are the exact same medications! It’s crazy, but drug companies are able to charge this because of marketing and brand recognition. GSK is still running TV commercials for Flonase even though it is generic.

As a Wise Patient, I also want you to be a wise consumer of healthcare. Ask your doctor if you can get any of your medications as generics. There are many drugs that are brand name only because they are still under patent and those will not be available as generics.  

When you go to the pharmacy to buy over-the-counter medications, look for the generic version of the drug. If you are ever unsure if you are getting the right drug, then you can always ask the pharmacist behind the counter. For your reference I have included a link to a list of generic and brand names of common medications:

https://www.rxassist.org/pap-info/generic-drug-list-print

Want to learn more about over-the-counter medications? Curious about which ones to avoid? Take a look at my article: The 5 Most Dangerous Over-The-Counter Medications