Show 973: The Pros and Cons of Generic Drugs
The People's Pharmacy
Joe and Terry Graedon
4.6 • 1.2K Ratings
🗓️ 11 December 2014
⏱️ 58 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The FDA has insisted for years that generic drugs are identical to their brand-name counterparts. Physician and medical historian Jeremy Greene writes:
“Generic drugs never were–and still are not–exactly the same as their brand-name counterparts, but they are similar in ways we deem to be important.”
We discuss the value of generic drugs and the questions surrounding quality control with Dr. Greene. Your questions and stories are welcome at 888-472-3366 or email radio@peoplespharmacy.com between 7 and 8 am EDT.
This Week’s Guest:
Jeremy A. Greene, M.D., Ph.D., is associate professor of medicine and the history of medicine and the Elizabeth Treide and A. McGehee Harvey Chair in the History of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is the author of Prescribing by Numbers: Drugs and the Definition of Disease and coeditor of Prescribed: Writing, Filling, Using, and Abusing the Prescription in Modern America, both published by Johns Hopkins. Dr. Greene’s most recent book is Generic: The Unbranding of Modern Medicine.
To hear Dr. Greene discuss his new book, Generic: The Unbranding of Modern Medicine, click here.
Listen to the Podcast
The podcast of this program will be available the Monday after the broadcast date (Dec. 13, 2014). The show can be streamed online from this site and podcasts can be downloaded for free for four weeks after the date of broadcast. After that time has passed, digital downloads are available for $2.99. CDs may be purchased at any time after broadcast for $9.99.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hi, I'm Joe Graydon. |
| 0:01.9 | And I'm Terry Graydon. |
| 0:03.0 | This podcast of the People's Pharmacy is brought to you by Squatty Potty Toilet Stools. |
| 0:09.0 | They create healthy toilet posture for fast, easy elimination. |
| 0:12.8 | Learn more about toilet posture and health at Squattypotty.com. |
| 0:17.3 | That's S-Q-U-A-T-Y, P-O-T-Y dot com. |
| 0:27.1 | Generic drugs account for more than 80% of all prescriptions filled in the U.S. |
| 0:35.6 | What are the pros and cons of unbranding modern medicine? |
| 0:39.6 | This is the People's Pharmacy with Terry and Joe Graydon. |
| 0:49.6 | Chances are good that at least one of your prescriptions has been filled with a generic formulation. |
| 0:55.0 | The FDA says such products are identical to their brand name counterparts, but problems with |
| 1:00.2 | foreign manufacturers raise questions about quality. |
| 1:03.5 | Generic drugs have been promoted as a great way to save money on health care, but lately |
| 1:08.8 | the prices of some generic drugs have soared. The price tag on |
| 1:12.8 | the antibiotic doxycycline increased 5,000 percent since 2012. What's going on? |
| 1:19.3 | Coming up on the People's Pharmacy, your calls and questions about generic drugs. |
| 1:24.7 | First, this news. |
| 1:29.3 | In the People's Pharmacy Health Headlines, the flu season has begun early this year, and it could be bad. |
| 1:36.7 | The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention prepare a map of flu prevalence each week. |
| 1:41.7 | For last week, it showed widespread infections in several states, |
| 1:45.5 | including Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, and Florida. All states are reporting |
| 1:51.8 | some influence activity, including regional or local outbreaks. Holiday travel could spread flu viruses |
... |
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