In order to ensure its safety and effectiveness, a generic drug undergoes intensive testing. The FDA sets up guidelines and requires strict testing in order to determine which drugs act the same way in the body. Generic drugs that have been tested and approved by the FDA to be therapeutically equivalent to brand name drugs are published in a guide that is updated monthly and is found in most pharmacies. Ask your pharmacist about the rating of your particular generic medication. Drug costs continue to rise Price appears to be the real difference between most brand and generic drugs.
Senior citizens are especially at risk for rising drug costs.
Drug costs for seniors are rising faster than for any other age group. The HMOs state that they can no longer afford to insure seniors. A number of factors account for these rising costs. People are living longer and using more drugs to do so. It is fair to add that some of the new expensive drugs are actually less costly overall than conventional therapies, such as surgery.