It’s quite common these days for the pharmacist to ask you if you would prefer to have a generic drug as a substitution for the brand name drug when having a prescription filled. You’ll also see that most prescriptions now have a little box for doctor’s to check to okay the substitution of a generic drug.. Even so, you may not fully understand what a generic drug is, or feel comfortable with accepting a generic drug.
Generic drugs are simply a copy of the brand-name drug, which is also known as the innovator drug. To qualify to be a generic drug, it must have two things, Its chemical composition must be an exact match of the innovator drug. And it must be officially approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration).. The FDA requires that the generic drug have the exact same active ingredient as the innovator drug.. It must be identical in strength, dosage form, route of administration, and have the same intended use as the innovator drug. The generic drug must meet the same requirements for strength, purity and quality, and it must be a bioequivalent to the innovator drug. Bioequivalency means that the generic drug has the same strength and that it affects people in the same way as the brand-name version. FDA requirements ensure that generic drugs will work just as fast and be just as effective as brand-name drugs.
So, if they are made the same and work the same, then why are generic drugs cheaper than brand name drugs. Generic drugs are less expensive because the manufacturer of a generic drug did not have to spend money researching, developing, and advertising a new drug. The clinical trial manufacturing process for new drugs, and, specifically, the pharmaceutical formulation development process, is lengthy, involved and very expensive. Also, when more than one manufacturer is producing a drug, they will need to keep prices down in order to stay competitive.
You may notice that generic drug may have a different appearance from brand name drugs, but that is no cause for worry. Because the brand name drugs are trademarked, generic drugs cannot be made to look exactly the same. But regardless of the appearance, the contents and effectiveness are guaranteed to be the same.
People who have been affected by hip disorders have made DePuy Orthopaedics to produce millions of hip replacement implants. These millions of hip implant this manufacturer has manufactured would have made them gain millions of profits if only they were responsible enough to not have sold them defective.
Last August 2010, a DePuy hip recall happened because it has been found out that a lot of hip implants manufactured by DePuy from July 2003 were faulty. People who have used these hip implants were experiencing a lot of complications. In order to spare them from further complications, these people need to go through a second surgery. In cases like these, we wish that manufacturers provide warranties for their product. DePuy guaranteed that their implants would last up to fifteen years, they should have provided a warranty in order to document this guarantee. The warranty would have come in handy considering that it went bad despite using it for only five years.
In the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Dr. Stephen S. Tower wrote about heart problems as caused by increased cobalt level in the blood. DePuy hip implants contain cobalt so this news has a connection on the dangers of the recalled hip implant. There is a chance that increased amount of cobalt from the hip implant would make the hip implant user to suffer from heart problems. When components of the metal implant rubs each other, the cobalt will be released into the blood. Although the releasing of metal into the blood is only natural for people who have used metal hip implants, more amounts of metal are released when the hip implant used is badly designed.
For this irresponsibility, the manufacturer deserves a lawsuit. If you want help in this case, there are many experience lawyers out there who are willing to help you.
When DePuy Orthopaedics, a Johnson & Johnson division, ordered a worldwide recall two of its hip replacements, the ASR XL Acetabular System and the ASR Hip Resurfacing System, it already knew of data showing their higher than expected failure rate. Specifically, according to a March 2010 New York Times article, DePuy was already aware of problems with its hip replacements five months before the recall.
In Australia, where the hip replacements were more widely sold than in the United States, the adverse data had been accumulating for quite some time. A director of an implant database stated that DePuy’s decision to completely remove the products from the market by the end of 2010 was already too late. Prior the August 2010 recall, DePuy already pulled out the ASR hip replacement implants from the Australian market.
In 2007, the FDA in the United States was entertaining 300 complaints about the ASR hip replacements. The ASR “cup” of the DePuy hip implants was not approved by clinical trials. When problems surfaced, the company originally claimed the surgeons weren’t installing their products properly. Then DePuy started sending letters to doctors informing them that its ASR devices would be less effective for women, persons of short stature, and those with weak bones. Clearly, DePuy acted too slowly once it found its products were defective.
A bad metal-on-metal hip replacement such as DePuy’s can cause metal ions to scrape off the components. When the ions are scraped, they can spread to the surrounding tissues and the bloodstream, causing pain and damage. Usually, a hip replacement device lasts for 15 years, but most of the ASR hip replacements from DePuy have been found to last for a mere 5 years. A failed hip replacement device could mean another surgery, which is both expensive and cumbersome.
DePuy’s recall has come too late, and many people are already affected. If you are one of the DePuy hip replacement recipients, contact our Depuy hip recall lawyer for a free consultation to protect your rights.
The popularity of natural supplements is rising around the world. When people learn about the benefits of naturally occuring supplements, supplementing their diet with these supplements is a logical choice. In some cases, natural remedies are starting to replace prescription drugs as people seek to cure illnesses without taking prescription drugs.
One of the supplements that has shown a lot of promise is resveratrol. Supplments containing resveratrol are being researched for the treatment of multiple illnesses as well as being researched by pharmaceutical companies as a miracle drug that can extend life.
Tests in labs on small animals like mice have shown that supplementing with resveratrol may potentially help us live longer and healthier lives. Studies in test tubes have shown that many diseases including cancer may be helped by resveratrol. There is a lot of research out there on sites like WebMD.com so you can do your own research.
If you want to find out where to get good prices on resveratrol supplements and find learn some more, you can head over to Resveratrol-Supplement.info where you can watch a video that was on 60 Minutes discussing the potential benefits of taking resveratrol.
This article should be used for informational purposes only. There has been no approval by the FDA for any health condition or disease treatment with resveratrol. You need to consult a physician for any treatments needed and before you make any health related changes. Much of the information used in this article was obtained from research done by Oregon State University and is published at lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/phytochemicals/resveratrol/ as well as articles published on WebMD.
One of the most common ailments people face every day is the common headache. There can be many causes ranging from stress to restricted blood flow to serious medical conditions. Fortunately, most headaches are simple tension headaches and there are many herbal remedies that can give you quick relief.
You can find herbal remedies for headaches from virtually every philosophy of medicine including Chinese herbal medicine, Ayurveda medicine (the traditional medicine in India), and traditional herbal and homeopathic medicine.
A common herb used in Chinese medicine is ginger and it is one of the recommended treatments for headaches. You can brew a ginger tea or eat a small piece of fresh ginger. Ginger can be found in some regular grocery stores and many health food stores now.
If you want to try Ayurveda herbal remedies for headaches, there are two commonly used treatments. The first uses warm mustard oil on a cloth. The cloth is put over your forehead as a compress to alleviate pain. Another way to treat headaches is to add boiling water to some coriander seeds. When this mixture steams, you enhale the steam. This can help alleviate sinus related headache pain.
Drinking warm tea is another common herbal remedy for headaches. Tea can be made from peppermint, chamomile, or rose hip. Tension headaches can often be relaxed away with a nice cup of tea. Valerian root is another remedy that can be taken as a tea or as a capsule. This one can make you drowsy though so be careful the first time you take it.
Let’s close with a couple very enjoyable herbal remedies for headaches taken from the Aromatherapy philosophy of medicine. Lavender oil is the first remedy. You can put a couple drops of it under your nose or rub the oil into your temples (if somebody else can rub it in for you it is even more relaxing). The relaxing effect of lavender can relax away your tension headache. Another aromatic remedy is to take a hot bath using relaxing scents like lavender or chamomile. Both of these remedies are great to add to your daily relaxation ritual even if you don’t have any headache pain.