The price of a course of ciprofloxacin, an antibiotic used the world over to treat a range of bacterial infections, varies enormously. The cost depends on where the pills are bought, and whether they are sold under a brand name (such as Ciloxan or Cipro) or as a generic version. According to data collected by Health Action International, an NGO, branded pills sell for an average of $101 a course in America, while the generic variant is available for $9.25. In Britain, branded versions cost only about half as much as in America, perhaps reflecting the bargaining power of the country’s National Health Service. In India, large drug companies compete to cater to poor consumers, ensuring that even branded ciprofloxacin costs less than $2.50 per course. And Brazilians pay about the same for branded and more for generic ciprofloxacin than even much wealthier Americans. Differences in national health-care systems mean that consumers typically shell out different proportions of the full cost of pills, because many countries subsidise medicine. (via The price of pills: Drug money | The Economist)
So a drug is an actual chemical compound with a very defined chemical structure. The chemical structure is what the FDA approves. That’s what makes it a certain drug. A different chemical structure is a different drug.
Therefore, there is no difference at all between a branded medication and a generic medication. There is no difference between Cipro the brand and ciprofloxacin the generic. It’s just marketing. Ask your neighborhood pharmacist. They get ciprofloxacin for about 7 cents a pill.
I took an introductory course on Health Economics, and if I remember correctly a generic drug is not the exact same thing as a brand name drug, but legally, in America at least, it must be at least 90% similar. But yeah, just buy Ibuprofen instead of Advil. And, if you look at most of your prescriptions you’ll notice that most of the time you won’t find the brand name drug on the label, but instead a generic drug. Unless you personally request a brand name drug, insurance companies will usually pay for the cheaper generic drug…
The reasons drugs are so expensive in America is because most research and development for drugs are done in the United States. If pharmaceuticals didn’t charge Americans a high price for drugs they wouldn’t do the research. The initial cost to make a drug is incredibly high, but after finding the chemical structure producing drugs is extremely cheap… and that’s why you see the low costs in other countries. I can’t really explain the Brazil part, that surprises me. I kind of want to look into that.
