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A comment on Non-profit’s $300 hepatitis C cure as effective as $84k alternative. Parent comment

Re:Non-profit’s $300 hepatitis C cure as effective as $84k a... by pbhjpbhj on Thursday April 12, 2018 @07:29PM (#16825851)
Why would a pharmacy give you a brand name, the generic is chemically identical, the doctor can give a brand name - they've done their part. The pharmacy could then offer you the brand name, or the generic, as long as they make the generic cheaper then the pharmacy can make more money; save you money and give identical service.

Some people will still opt for the more expensive, of course, but where's the incentive for the pharmacist to fill a script for Neurofen RTM with anything other than ibuprofen? Why even is there a special box -- if the generic isn't the same drug (tested, licensed, etc.) it's not a generic. Might as well have a "are you getting a kickback for prescribing this" box?

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Re:Non-profit’s $300 hepatitis C cure as effective as $84k a... by stordoff on Friday April 13, 2018 @06:42AM (#16828678)
Generics aren't always chemically identical. The active ingredient might be the same, but the binders may not be. In the majority of cases, that's fine - you only really care about the active ingredient - but in certain cases, such as a sensitivity to one of those ingredients, it might not be. My sister has had to have specific brands of certain medicines prescribed due to a sensitivity to certain types of sugars. For instance, compare Neurofen:

> Each tablet contains Ibuprofen 200 mg Also contains: Sucrose, Sodium Citrate, talk, Croscarmellose Sodium, Stearis Acid, Titaniu, Dioxide, Silicon Dioxide, Acacia, Carmellose Sodium, Sodiu, Laurilsulphate, Macrogol and Blank Ink(contains Shellac, Iron Oxide Black (E172) and Propylene Glycol) or Opacode S -1 -8152 HV Black (contains Shellac, Iron Oxide Black (E172, Antifoam DC1510 and Soya Lecithin

https://www.boots.com/nurofen-200mg-tablets-16-tablets

to generic ibuprofen:

> Ibuprofen 400mg, sodium starch glycollate, croscarmellose sodium, sucrose, E171, E127 and E211

https://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/ibuprofen-400mg-tablets/prd-...

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