DrugBuyers.Com: Are Generics Worth It? The Quest for Quality

One somewhat widely known fact is that FDA approved generics can have a bioequivalency of -20% to +20% the original patended brand-name product (like what Valium is to diazepam)

The FDA generally rates the bioequivalency of a generic as A (meets the +/-20%) or B (doesn't meet it)

I, like many others, have been questioning the actual value of generic drugs considering that many are as much as 20% less effective than the brand name version. So basically, if you are getting the generic at 40% off the brand name, you are really getting is at 20% off.

Now here's the hard part. Aside from having to scour these boards for hours, has any intelligent person out there compiled a list, for some of the most popular drugs, of which generic brands are closest to the bioequivalency of the name brand?

Then throw in the factor of non-domestic pharmacies that are supplying generics made outside the U.S. I would assume the FDA only evaluates generics manufacturerd in the U.S. Correct?

So it seems the only way to determine which overseas manufacturers are producing quality generics is via trial and error, much of which is not very clearly documented in these boards. The idea of using my body as a test laboratory isn't very appealing. There's a comments or two here and there about this and that generic brand but no where can you easily find a clear consensus that Brand X, factory in India, produced quality Diazepam.

For generics made in the United States, it is easy to see if the generic is any good or not, just do a look up on the FDA's 'Orange Book' and do a search on the active ingredient:

http://www.fda.gov/cder/ob/default.htm

Is there any site out there that has a broader coverage of manufacturers of generics. It seems most of the generic manufacturers that come up in the orange book are not the ones being sold in the IOPs. It would be really usueful is someone compiled a website that didn't just rate online pharmacies, like this site, but rated in some structured way besides a forum discussin, the generic brand quality of the most popular drugs so you could see a list of them with star ratings just like you do for the pharmacies.

One question I do have is that does the quality vary that much from country to country with the same manufacturer?

One thing from my readings seems to indicate that the vast majority of generics in the U.S. and overseas are typically 20% less effective so by rule of thumb expect to have to increase the does by 20% from what the dosage pharmacology information indicates for that particular drug.

It's all about the money and as the saying goes, you (usually) get what you pay for.