title: When is a "generic" medication not really a generic?
abstract: The distinction between pharmaceutical equivalent and pharmaceutical alternative drug products can lead to considerable confusion, especially with the proliferation of various branded, alternative, and generic medications that contain the same active ingredient. To illustrate this problem, four examples of medication products containing the active ingredients paroxetine, venlafaxine, bupropion, and valproate will be described. Understanding these differences is important for nurses providing patient care. Only generic drugs can be freely substituted for a brand-name product. Switching to a pharmaceutical alternative requires a change in prescription. Finally, the use, labeling, and cost of branded, alternative, and generic medications may be different.
authors.affiliation: University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. HowlandRH@upmc.edu
authors.forename: Robert H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Howland
mesh_terms: D016642:Bupropion / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003511:Cyclohexanols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016527:Drug Costs; D004348:Drug Labeling; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000191:economics / Q000451:nursing*; D016568:Drugs, Generic / Q000191:economics / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008389:Marketing of Health Services; D017374:Paroxetine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018579:Patient Selection; D011568:Psychiatric Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000191:economics / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013810:Therapeutic Equivalency; D014481:United States; D014486:United States Food and Drug Administration; D014635:Valproic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000069470:Venlafaxine Hydrochloride
chemical_list: D003511:Cyclohexanols; D016568:Drugs, Generic; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs; D016642:Bupropion; D017374:Paroxetine; D014635:Valproic Acid; D000069470:Venlafaxine Hydrochloride