It's weird that they call them knock-offs, they're the same drug, just made by a different company with a different name.
This is bad because it will increase prices for these drugs.
this post was submitted on 10 Oct 2024
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Yeah, they aren't "knock-offs" or "imitations." That is some bad reporting.
Or "pirate" the drug like they do with insulin.
Insulin, and a lot of other stuff, it's pretty awesome! I watched this talk from Defcon recently. It's pretty sick.
Half way through and I’m hooked. What an amazing share. Thanks
Yeah, I thought the same! I've been waiting for an opportunity to share it around, since I think the world would be a better place if more people knew about this!
Does the US not have generic unbranded drugs?
Generics are literally a fact of life over here (UK) and the fact that Americans are going insane over them is wild to me. The NHS will prescribe generics as standard because they're cheaper to supply and they're literally the same drug.
My mother has a whole goody-bag of medication and there's not a single brand name to be seen. They've kept her going for >10 years.
Oh we have generics all over the place.
The problem is that large drug companies abuse our patent systems to keep their drugs exclusive for longer than should be allowed.
Look at EPI pens. The drug is just Adrenaline, you can get a vial of that anywhere as long as you have a prescription. But the EPI pen mechanism itself is patented. So no other manufacturer can sell an easy to use, pre measured dose of Adrenaline without violating the patent. That’s why EPI pens cost hundreds of dollars instead of the 20 bucks they probably actually cost to produce. And you need that mechanism, because no one with a throat that’s closing is going to be able to calmly pull out and ampule or vial, measure the right dose into a syringe, and get it into their system before they pass out from anaphylaxis.
Wow, damn I had no idea. It's criminal that they're allowed to price gouge people like that!
I'd understand if it was some frivolous cosmetic thing made from anglerfish caviar or something equally absurd, but this is lifesaving medicine. I wish terrible things on the people who set those prices, that's pure evil.
New drugs get a period of time where the company that developed it has exclusive manufacturing rights. The idea is that if anyone can start making the drug immediately, there's not a good reason for companies to spend money to develop new drugs. However if demand for a drug is greater than the ability of the creating company to produce the drug, other companies are allowed to temporarily step in and make up the difference.
I think there's something similar in terms of initial patent rights, but it's awful that people who need these meds are footing the bill. I realise now that I have been spoiled by the NHS. The idea of charging people for medical care that they need is unthinkable to me. It's heartbreaking.
they’re the same drug,
Of course they are, that's what it means, it's copied from the original.
There are also fakes that do not contain real medicine, those are not knockoffs, because they do NOT copy the medicine, only the packaging. The knockoffs are not decidedly fake because they actually work.
Some more discussion on this article over on !medicine@mander.xyz
See here: https://lemmy.ca/post/30650429
A few points brought up in the comments
- The shortage isn't necessarily over, and an obvious downside is drug prices / abuse from the manufacturer
- This mostly affects larger pharmacies that can do compounding (ex. CVS, Walmart) since smaller independent pharmacies usually don't have the means to do it. However, the specifics will vary depending on where you are.
- A more reasonable concern is that the compounded drugs don't go through the same quality control. So while they should act the same and be safe, it's possible that some pharmacy company (see above) is cutting corners for profit.
My thoughts:
- the US has a drug price problem
- it's possible to get safe and quality controlled pharmaceuticals without restricting it to one company, especially if that company can't handle the demand
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If you're a medical professional on the Fediverse, some communities you might be interested in:
- !medicine@mander.xyz
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I dont really endorse this blog, but this is an interesting post about the compounding pharmacy situation:
This cost compounding pharmacies about one batch of drugs. Anyone with any sophistication just added some B6 into the next batch and went back to business as usual.