Generic drugs, or generics, are considered as a category of medication which were manufactured and sold without patent or brand name. These pills are essentially equivalent to their branded counterparts. It is said that generics are identical to branded drugs in composition, efficiency, safety, dosage and manner of use. The main difference of generics from branded is the fact that generics cost less. To tell the truth, generic pills, as well as those which were checked by the Food and Drug Administration , cost 70% cheaper on average. It was estimated by the US Congressional Budget office that annual savings caused by generic drugs range from eight to ten billion dollars.

Branded drugs enjoy security from patents. Patenting a product means that you are the known innovator of the medication. This allows for the company to earn back their cost incurred from research and development of the medication since they are given exclusive rights to manufacture, market and sell such medication. However, patents only apply for limited amount of 20 years; thus giving an opportunity for other companies to sell generic versions of that branded pill. They are able to sell them at a cheaper price due to two reasons: 1. they did not spend for the research and patent fees for the medication; and 2. is because of competition. Since there are more manufacturers selling the same drug, they aim to offer the lowest price possible.

One of the biggest concerns about generic pills is safety. This is an understandable concern especially for generics manufactured outside of FDA guideline. Other than that, those that did pass FDA regulations are the same as their branded counterparts because the FDA only approves them if they have the same composition, dosage, quality, etc. Sometimes, they may look different but the fact is, they are just the same.

In the United States, about half of all prescriptions today are for generic medication. This significant increase is caused by the number of patients urging their doctors to prescribe them generic medication instead of branded ones. In 2008, global sales of generic drugs were up by 170% since 2003 with 42% of these sales coming from the United States. This boost in popularity is generally credited to the cheap cost of generics.

Moreover, generic drugs are offered even cheaper through online pharmacies. These online pharmacies would usually sell generic pills made from other countries such as India and are considered as a great opportunity to save money. However, not all online pharmacies are the same and there are those who try to get profit through deceitful means. This is why constant care is needed when purchasing from such sites. In order to find which online pharmacies are safe to purchase from, it is ideal to visit online pharmacy review sites first. From there, consumers can learn from the experiences of other people from certain pharmacies. At the same time, some of these review sites show a record of top notch online pharmacies as well. Saving money need not come with a big, so read first before buying.

Recently Thomas Kubic from the Partnership for Safe Medicines (PSM) posted a blog entry on why people buy counterfeit drugs and other counterfeit products. He based his commentary on a Wall Street Journal article on the same subject, discussing the underlying motivation that leads people to buy counterfeit products.

The WSJ article discussed efforts currently underway to help deter people from buying counterfeit products. The article also included a survey of people in the United States, Brazil, China, India, and Russia on why they would consider buying counterfeit products. The authors asked consumers to consider and rank five factors that may influence their decision to buy counterfeit drugs or a pirated movie - quality, cost, sentiment, ethics and ease of purchase.

Researchers received a variety of responses, especially when it came to why they would buy a fake DVD and why they would purchase counterfeit medicine. Overall, the authors found consumers would buy a fake because:

? They thought it was just as good as a legitimate product;

? They could not afford the genuine product;

? They do not like the big businesses that make the authentic products;

? They do not think it is illegal or immoral to do so; and/or,

? The products were easy to obtain.

Thomas Kubic and others at the Partnership for Safe Medicines work every day to stress the importance of consumers understanding the threat counterfeit medicines pose to the safety of our global drug supply. He states, “Consumers and policymakers should know that the public health is at risk as 1) counterfeit medicines are never safe; 2) counterfeit medicines are here; and 3) there are many assistance programs to help obtain genuine medicines.”

PSM offers a number of free resources to help consumers understand the real health and safety issues that accompany every counterfeit drug. To learn more about why counterfeit drugs are unsafe at any cost, visit www.SafeMedicines.org.

More and more people are looking online for home care products and more health care professionals are also using the Internet as a way to save money on medical supplies, but what should they look for in a online medical supply company

First of all they should look for a website offering a full range of health-related products, including:

Bariatrics

Bathroom Safety Aids

Beds & Accessories

Daily Living Aids

Defibrillators (AED)

Diabetic Supplies

Diagnostic Products

EMS & EMT Supplies

Incontinence

Orthopedic Products

Ostomy Supplies

Pain Management

Physician Supplies

Respiratory

Scooters

Skin Care

Urological/Catheters

Walking Aids

Wheelchairs

Wound Care

The medical supplies company should also offer products from major manufacturers such as Invacare, Drive Medical, Pride Mobility, Nova, Golden Technologies, Alex, Dynarex, Hollister, ConvaTec and ADC.

They should also offer 24-hour live, 100 percent secure ordering, respect for your privacy, a no-hassle return policy and free shipping for all orders over $100. The medical supplies company should also be accredited by the Better Business Bureau.

Regular customers of the medical company should also be offered a club membership for one low annual cost that provides the following benefits:

5 percent off certain orders.

A one-time 10 percent discount off one order during the membership year.

Pre-notice of sales and specials.

Quarterly home health care updates with additional member-only offers.

In addition, the website of the medical supply company, as a service to its current and potential customers, should offer access to a monthly newsletter on health-related issues, current, up-to-date articles on a variety of health care topics, and links to helpful, outside groups and organizations related to health care.