Generic medication can be a life-saver for a lot of people who cannot afford to purchase their brand-name counterpart. In a recent article, we talked about the cost of medication in the US in comparison to other developed countries. We wanted to follow that up with a recent episode of Fresh Air. In this episode, they spoke to journalist Katherine Eban about her new book, Bottle of Lies. In the book, Eban illustrates the many safety failures we have suffered at the hands of corporate greed and federal regulators, FDA.
I encourage you to listen to the episode. However, what we wanted to focus on, was the potential risk you may be facing if you are taking generic medication. One of the scariest revelations in Eban’s book is the lower level of safety that she documented in drug manufacturing facilities in other countries, namely India. And how, even after these safety issues have been brought to the FDA, the companies have been simply slapped on the wrist.
The issue is so dire, that Eban herself will only accept certain generic prescriptions and only after she’s checked them to be OK.
To check do the following:
- Search the FDA’s orange book at: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/ob/index.cfm
- The results of your search should include the various approved manufacturers (applicant holder) of the drug
- Compare the drug manufacturer of YOUR prescription to those on the search results
- Go to the FDA warning letter search engine and use the company name in the search: https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/compliance-actions-and-activities/warning-letters
We created a quick video to show you to do it:
And to listen to the full episode, please see below.
