Generic medicines are of equal quality to branded ones, as the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) in Malaysia has mandatory guidelines and strict monitoring during the entire production process.
Generic drugs are also a good way for patients to get quality medicines at lower cost while stemming the outflow of the ringgit from importing branded medicines.
Prof Datuk Dr N.K.S. Tharmaseelan said, unlike coffee and soap powder that vary in strength, generic medicines have the same dosage as their branded versions.
“People should not shy away from buying generic medicines, as they are the same as branded ones,” said Dr Tharmaseelan, who was the Malaysian Medical Association president from 2013 to 2014.
“If we are talking about coffee or soap powder, then it is true that some brands are better than others.
“But for medicines, the dosage and ingredients for branded ones are similar to the generic types. As such, there is no reason not to take them.”
He explained that a generic drugs contain the same active pharmaceutical ingredients and have an equivalent therapeutic effect as branded drugs. However, it might differ in colour, shape and flavouring from the branded ones.
“Malaysians know Panadol. That is a brand name, but the drug is called paracetamol. You can get cheaper versions in pharmacies,” said Dr Tharmaseelan.
“Over the years, VIPs and government officials all receive generic medicines. Those who can afford it will purchase branded ones.”
Senior lawyer Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, recently, queried why former prime minister and his client – Datuk Seri Najib Razak – was given a generic drug instead of his usual medication.
In a Facebook posting on Sept 14, Zaid hoped that Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin would give Najib, who is serving a 12-year jail sentence, the proper medication for his ailments.
Najib was sent to Hospital Kuala Lumpur on Sept 9 as “an elective, non-emergency case to ensure that his health was at a good and optimum level”, said Health director-general Tan Sri Noor Hisham Abdullah. While there, Najib received generic pressure pills.
Khairy denied Najib’s medication was changed, telling a press conference last week that Najib received a generic high blood pressure medication whose formula was the same as the branded one the Pekan MP had bought from a private hospital.
Khairy said Najib was free to take his branded medicine, if he was willing to pay for them.
Duopharma Biotech’s medical affairs manager, Dr Shahnun Ahmad, said approved generic medicines are comparable to the branded ones in terms of safety and efficacy. Duopharma is one of Malaysia’s leading generic drug
manufacturers.
“All Duopharma prescription medications have gone through the required stringent Bioequivalent studies and were approved by the NPRA,” he said.
Referring to claims that the generic medicines had failed to reduce Najib’s blood pressure, Dr Shahnun said: “Medical conditions (like hypertension) can be affected by other factors like emotional and physical stress. We stand by our product in terms of its safety and efficacy.”
Branded medicines are more expensive as they are sold exclusively by companies that developed the drugs.
They hold the patents for a set number of years, usually for 10 years. They usually cost more because the companies need to recover the money they had spent on research and development.
Once the patents expire, other companies are free to sell their version of the drugs using similar ingredients.
There are several manufacturers of generic drugs in Malaysia, and they follow mandatory guidelines and strict monitoring by the Health Ministry’s NPRA.
