Don't buy that, it's generic!

Angelique Mrefu – As I was shopping with my mom this particular afternoon, she says: “Don’t pick those biscuits! They are generic. Take ABC, because they are branded.”
As I was still wrapping my head around what she had said, another lady tells her daughter: “I don’t use generic paracetamol. It is too cheap. Buy XYZ”.
If you've ever been tempted to grab the half-priced no-name own-brand canned fish instead of the well-known brand, you aren't alone. The cheaper price of store-brands is tempting, but we all wonder: Are generics really as good? How could they be, when no-name brands often cost 50% less than the branded fish? Consumers often question why generic drugs are much cheaper than the brand-name version.
Generics have suffered a perception problem over the years when compared to the actual reality of the matter. This normally hurts the consumer, as they pay double what they could have paid for a product. In most cases people have the perception that generics would require higher doses and result in more side effects, my mother explained when I asked her about her choice of branded drugs rather than the generics.
All these perceptions are wrong.
The truth is that generic drugs are not inferior to brand-name drugs. They are just less expensive. So don’t worry about being cheap. Generic and store-brand drugs are just as rigorously tested, well-formulated, and effective as brand names.
Their lower prices actually have a simple explanation. Major companies pay for the marketing, advertising, and often also the development of a drug. Generic drug manufacturers have no such costs and they pass those savings on to the consumer.
This isn't just true of the drugs we buy in the aisle of the pharmacy or a supermarket. If you are ever prescribed a brand-name drug, you may ask for the generic (if any) and it will work just as well.
Sometimes the price goes down thanks to zero start-up costs, but also because of competition from other generic manufacturers who also sell the same drug. Think about it from the perspective of a consumer on chronic medication: If it was not for these cheaper, generic medications, most people would not be able to afford the necessary drugs to keep them alive.
In actual fact, generics are a not-to-miss bargain. Really, all you ever pay for when you buy a brand-name drug is the pretty package, familiar name, and trusty slogan. But the contents are the same as the generic brand.
There is one hidden force to the matter that cannot be controlled though: The mind. The brand name with fancy packaging and its advertisements tend to have a greater psychological effect. Basically, if you believe something will work, in most cases it does. This is true with either fake or placebo drugs. Due to this fact, branded drugs tend to work more because that is what is believed of them.
The fact still remains though: Generics are as powerful as branded drugs because they have the same ingredients and have the same bioequivalence as the brand drugs.
As from today, when you think generics, think of saving money. – Supplied by the Pharmaceutical Society of Namibia