FAQ on drug names
When you buy drugs, particularly when you buy drugs online, you may well be offered the same drug, but under different names. There are a number of reasons for this.
1 Why are there three names for Acomplia?
Actually, there are more! You will find the same drug sold under the brand names of Acomplia and Zimulti. It is also available under the generic names of Riobant, Rimonabant, Rimoslim and Slimona.
2 What is a brand name?
This is connected with the Intellectual Property (IP) system, and trademark protection in particular.
3 What is a generic name?
Pharmaceutical companies develop chemical compounds that have internationally standard names. A name that is in everyday use by chemists is not original and cannot be trademarked. A version of this chemical description becomes the generic name, and it will be used in every market where the drug is sold.
4 What is the Intellectual Property (IP) system?
Every developed market economy gives inventors some degree of protection for the commercial products they develop. These so-called IP rights include:
- patents;
- registered designs;
- trademarks; and
- copyright.
Each country gives a period of exclusive protection — a monopoly — during which only the holders of the IP rights are allowed to sell the protected works. Because only the IP rights holders can sell, they can charge a higher price to recover their research and development costs more quickly.
5 What do inventors do first?
The inventors first register a patent in all the major markets. This protects the concept and the process for producing the product. Once the registration is complete, they will develop and register one or more trademarks. This will include any number of different brand names, the typefaces used for printing the name(s), logos, etc. for the product. This completes the package for marketing the product across all national boundaries.
6 Why have more than one brand name?
Sometimes it is better to have separate names for each national market. This solves the problem of selecting a single brand name. A word that is innocent in one language may be obscene in another. It may also be easier to roll out the marketing in different countries using different selling strategies, emphasising different features in the product. You will therefore sometimes see several different named versions of the same product advertised when you look to buy online from the online pharmacies.
7 What happens if the inventor cannot manufacture?
Sometimes the inventors do not have the manufacturing capacity to serve a global market. Their capital may also be limited. In such a case, the strategy is to licence manufacturers to produce a version of the patented product for each national or regional group of markets. A licence is a permission to copy the protected product. Without a licence, this would be an infringement of the patent.
8 Can an inventor license a generic manufacturer?
The situation can become slightly confusing when the inventor decides to license "generic" producers. In well-developed markets, the IP rights holders will market their products at a high price to recover their research and development costs. These same high prices cannot always be passed on to second and third world countries. Some manufacturers are altruistic and allow "cheaper" versions of their products to be made. This work is usually done by large volume manufacturers.
9 Why would a licensee use a different name?
Quite often, the same drug is sold under a different name to avoid confusing the “home” markets if news of a different price were to spread. The generic manufacturers usually adopt the "chemical" name. When developers create new drugs, they are exploiting the therapeutic qualities of chemical compounds that have an internationally recognised name. So, for example, the chemical name of Acomplia is Rimonabant. Because the IP rights holders want to protect the reputation of their products, they always police the licence holders to make sure that they maintain proper manufacturing standards and produce an identical product.
10 What happens when the patent runs out?
When the period of IP protection expires, anyone can copy the original chemistry of the drug and sell the product. Many of the high volume manufacturers may decide to copy and sell the drug to the mass markets. This form of competition is good for the consumers because it rapidly brings down the price. These manufactures only have to recover their production costs. There are no research and development costs. The marketing effort is usually minimal as they can trade on the reputation of the original product copied. The result? You get very good value.
11 Are generic drugs the same as branded drugs?
If you depend on drugs for pain relief or the control of your condition, this ability to buy drugs that are:
- identical to the original, but
- a fraction of the price,
can literally be a lifesaver (financially if not physically). When you look to buy online, you should therefore look for the drug you want or need under its generic name. That way, you will be able to buy drugs at a highly affordable price.
Be reassured. The generic or separately licensed drugs will be identical to the original branded drugs. They will have exactly the same:
- basic chemistry;
- quality;
- strength; and
- dosages.
These drugs are called bioequivalents. That means they have exactly the same effect as the original branded products with the same safety characteristics. The only real differences are the price you pay, the way the pills are packed and the less obvious way in which they are marketed. It is possible that the pills or capsules have a different colour and shape. These are cosmetic differences only. You should not worry. There are sets of international and national regulations to ensure that the generics produced when the patents have expired are genuinely bioequivalent. That way, you should always be protected as a consumer. But, in some cases, fakes do come on to the market. To get the best protection from this threat, you should always buy drugs from reputable online pharmacies.
12 Why should you prefer to buy the generics?
If you are offered a choice between two names for the same drug, why would you choose to pay more for the original? The two drugs must have the same therapeutic effect, they have the same strength and, in the case of Acomplia, their effectiveness levels are the same. If you decide to buy a branded product, you are paying for the name and the marketing to support that brand. You should also think about who has manufactured these medications. It may be one of the specialist generic producers. They are all regulated and reliable. But there is nothing to prevent the original manufacturer from competing in the generic market. All they need to do is to put a generic label on a part of their production run. The IP rights holders have already recovered their research and development costs, so they can sell at the generic price and still make a profit. All the reputable online pharmacies offer the generic equivalents when they are available so that, when you buy drugs online, you are getting the best value for money possible.
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