Are generic drugs really inferior medicines?
In this issue Gagne et al. report an elegant case-crossover study of seizures in patients on antiepileptic drugs. They found that a dispensation episode approximately triples the risk of having a seizure within 21 days, but the risk is not statistically different whether the dispensation was of the same brand-name or generic drug as previously used or a switch from brand-name to a generic or from a generic to a brand name. The cause of the seizure might be a delay in taking medication or late redispensation, among others, but apparently the nature of the product dispensed is not relevant in this study; this may alleviate some of the concerns about generic drugs and epilepsy.
Moore
N
N
Department of Pharmacology, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France. nicholas.moore@pharmaco.u-bordeaux2.fr
Berdaï
D
D
Bégaud
B
B
D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016568:Drugs, Generic / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D012306:Risk; D013810:Therapeutic Equivalency; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000927:Anticonvulsants; D016568:Drugs, Generic