How often have you gone to the doctor and ended up with a drug prescription that no pharmacy in your vicinity stocked? Doctors often prescribe exotic brands that are either not readily available or are extremely expensive. But, you can easily find a “substitute” or “replacement” medicine that is equally effective and contains the same active ingredient or salt as its “branded” counterpart.
For example, if you went to the doctor for pain and the doctor prescribes you Tablet Reactin 50 mg DT, a branded medicine for pain and inflammation marketed by Cipla Ltd. and costs Rs. 21.74/10 tablets. The chemical composition of Tablet Reactin 50 mg DT is Diclofenac Sodium in dispersible form, for which substitutes, Tablet Diclotal 50 mg DT and Tablet Doloact 50 mg DT are readily available, containing the same chemical composition and with equal efficacy and safety, but costs just Rs. 15.50/10 tablets and Rs. 11.56/10 tablets respectively. When you search for any drug at 1mg.com, you are given reliable alternatives immediately containing the same salt, in the same form and with the same effectiveness.
What is a substitute medicine or generic medicine?
Substitution or replacement means that the chemist dispenses a medicine that is either equal to or equivalent to the medicine that your doctor has prescribed. It should contain the same active substance, in the same quantity, and is used in the same way as the medicine prescribed by your doctor. These medicines have the same effect as your branded counterparts, even though they may appear different and are sold with different names. These substitute medicines are called generic medicines or generics.
How do generics differ from brands?
The development of new medicine costs enormous amounts of money to the pharmaceutical companies. To recover this cost, a pharmaceutical company patents sole manufacture of the “new” drug for a prescribed period of time and sells it at a premium price to recover some of the cost. Subsequently when this patent expires, other pharmaceutical companies are at liberty to copy the original and make “generic” medicines with equal efficacy and composition and to market it at a much lower price than the original.
This does not mean a compromise in quality or efficacy because it is much easier and cheaper to copy a medicine than to develop it from scratch. Thus, it implies that you have enormous cost savings without compromise on medicine quality if you opt for substitute medicines. You can suggest your doctor to use chemical composition of medicines on your prescription for convenience and in compliance to latest Government rules.
Where can you find substitute medicines?
Substitute medicines are available at the same chemist and pharmacies that dispense your branded medicines. They are also readily available online through online pharmacies with a prescription.
It is always wise to buy your medicines from a reliable pharmacy as there is a flood of counterfeit or fake medicines in the market manufactured by shady companies with less than acceptable ethical standards. 1mg is a reputable online pharmacy that provides you quality and affordability under one roof. It does so with the convenience of delivering your medicines right at your doorsteps. You can easily browse through the website and find your medicine or simply search for the medicine using the search option. You can also get your tests done, get an eConsult or even book appointments with the best doctors in your locality.
You can hardly go wrong with reliable pharmacies like 1mg when it comes to finding affordable substitute or generic medicines for your ailments.
