Brand Medicine

The same molecule is sold in India under dozens of brand names at wildly different prices. Understanding that one fact can save a family a great deal of money over a year.

Generic and branded

A generic contains the identical active molecule as the branded original, at the same dose, and must meet the same regulatory standard. The price difference is frequently large - several times over for common long-term medicines. For most people, for most conditions, the generic is the sensible choice.

There are exceptions worth knowing. For a narrow group of medicines - some thyroid, epilepsy and blood-thinning drugs - small differences in absorption matter, and doctors often prefer patients stay on one consistent brand. Your doctor will tell you if yours is one of these.

Ask two questions at every new prescription: what is this for, and is there a generic?

Reading the strip

The salt name is printed on every pack, usually in smaller type than the brand. Learn the salt names of anything you take regularly - it is how you avoid accidentally taking the same drug twice under two different brands, which is a genuinely common and occasionally dangerous mistake.

Never do this

Do not take someone else's prescription, however similar the symptoms sound. Do not keep leftover antibiotics for next time. And check expiry dates - particularly on anything that has been in a cupboard through an Indian summer.