Own brand 'v' known brand

Armchair23

It really distresses me to see people paying a fortune for name brand products when the generic will do the job at a fraction of the price.

In the same way Martin wants to see some basic financial education in schools I'd like people to grow up knowing a tablet containing say 200mg of ibuprofen active ingredient is the same whether you but the generic or the name brand product.

Fair enough if you can't stand the shape/taste etc of one product buy another. But I'd like people to know why they're forking out the extra rather than doing it 'cos the telly said they're good'

16 Nurofen (from Boots) £1.80 - 16 Boots Ibuprofen 37p
Does the box look £1.43 prettier do you think ?

Harrrummmphhh sorry one of my 'don't get me started' subjects !

browneyedbazzi

When my doctor advised that I start taking cetirizine she specifically told me not to 'throw money away' on the branded ones but to buy the cheapest own brand I could find....morrisons do 14 one a day tablets for 50p (compared to boots own at £4.49!!) and they work exactly the same as any branded ones I have tried in the past.

Like someone mentioned above, rules about the manufacture and quality of medicines are so stringent here that there is no difference in the effectiveness of unbranded vs branded medicines that have the same active ingredient/dose.

I would however be careful about buying off really cheap websites as some import medicines from abroad where the same controls may not be in place and others just sell counterfeits which are useless or even harmful.

LondonDreamer

browneyedbazzi wrote: »

When my doctor advised that I start taking cetirizine she specifically told me not to 'throw money away' on the branded ones but to buy the cheapest own brand I could find....morrisons do 14 one a day tablets for 50p (compared to boots own at £4.49!!) and they work exactly the same as any branded ones I have tried in the past.

Like someone mentioned above, rules about the manufacture and quality of medicines are so stringent here that there is no difference in the effectiveness of unbranded vs branded medicines that have the same active ingredient/dose.

I would however be careful about buying off really cheap websites as some import medicines from abroad where the same controls may not be in place and others just sell counterfeits which are useless or even harmful.

Ditto this, especially the warning about imported medication. But generics sold in mainstream outlets (e.g. supermarkets, pharmacies) are just as good as the brands. If the active ingredients are the same, it'll do the same job regardless of price.

And also to add, it's just like own brand groceries in that sometimes it's even made by the same manufacturer as the brand name item, just repackaged for the generics market. Often in this case, the generic label is also owned by the company that markets the major brand. They make a profit either way, so it really shows the markup for that pretty box.

Check with a pharmacist if in doubt, they can recommend the best generic version of your medication.

jenniewb

Armchair23 wrote: »

16 Nurofen (from Boots) £1.80 - 16 Boots Ibuprofen 37p
Does the box look £1.43 prettier do you think ?

Actually with the Boots Ibuprofen it gets even funnier! -Boots actually make (or at least used to if they don't still) Neurofen!
I still buy the stuff even cheaper then that as I see Boots ibuprofen can get quite expensive. I get mine from Tescos/Sainsburys where it is around 40p, the Boots own brand I see in the stores around me edges close to the £2 mark!:eek:

I'd agree with the own brand thing. Paracetamol and so on all work fine, I don't see why hayfever pills wouldn't work just as well. I noticed in Tescos they had two types (two different active ingred.) both below £1, something like 50p and 80p for a weeks pack.

I think the only branded medicines I go for are because I find some brands taste nicer and when I am ill I can get a bit pathetic over the comfort issue! (Eg Covonia for cough mixture-though Boots own brand isn't that bad or Strepsyls). But its not without being fully aware I am paying double the price for the taste and label alone.

floss2

Armchair23 wrote: »

....16 Nurofen (from Boots) £1.80 - 16 Boots Ibuprofen 37p
Does the box look £1.43 prettier do you think ?

I have to admit to buying Nurofen over own brand / generic ibuprofen as when pain catches up with me whilst on my allotment or out walking with DH, I take the melty tablets (like Refreshers! ) as they work extremely quickly without the need to swill down with water.

Apart from those, I ALWAYS buy generic.

adelight

Always buy the generic, I can stock up my medicine cupboard with all sorts for the same price as a pack of Nurofen.
With cosmetics the ingredients often are different so if that's important to you it is worth buying a more expensive one if it works better for you.

wanchai_2

Armchair23 wrote: »

It really distresses me to see people paying a fortune for name brand products when the generic will do the job at a fraction of the price.

In the same way Martin wants to see some basic financial education in schools I'd like people to grow up knowing a tablet containing say 200mg of ibuprofen active ingredient is the same whether you but the generic or the name brand product.

Fair enough if you can't stand the shape/taste etc of one product buy another. But I'd like people to know why they're forking out the extra rather than doing it 'cos the telly said they're good'

16 Nurofen (from Boots) £1.80 - 16 Boots Ibuprofen 37p
Does the box look £1.43 prettier do you think ?

Harrrummmphhh sorry one of my 'don't get me started' subjects !

Same here!!!! My mum spends a fortune on common medicines as she refuses to buy generic. She calls them by their brand names (e.g. she'll say 'Oh, I took a Disprin/Nurofen/Panadol) rather than their real names. I have tried explaining to her that could save a lot of money by switching but she never listens. Bl00dy sneaky marketing and brand loyalty. :eek: :mad:

OP - just check the active ingredients and the quanities thereof, and buy cheap and generic whenever you can!

ellay864

Ken68 wrote: »

B.P is what I look for. Don't know what it means, perhaps British Patent or Basic Pharmacy, but it is the generic product.

BP means British Pharmacopoeia. It's the British Standard for the manufacture of drugs. It applies not just to generics but is a standard that a drug is made to. But many drugs will show Ph. Eur - this is the European equivalent. There are also some other standards that may apply.
Bottom line is as others have said...there's no difference between generics and branded, though occasionally some of the excipients (the non-active ingredients) may differ. As this can include colourings, there is a chance that somebody taking one brand perfectly fine, may have a problem if they have an allergy to a colouring used in a different brand.
But that's pretty rare and certainly doesn't really justify the brand snobbery that so many people have. And this is coming from somebody who works in the pharmaceutical industry and could be said to have a vested interest against generics!

terra_ferma

personal experience re. nurofen v. own brand (in my case tescos), the pain didn't go away completely and I now only ever use branded nurofen if I have to.

paracetamol on the other hand is the same, branded like panadol and anadin, is such a rip off!

claire16c

I always buy Loratadine hayfever non-brand tablets in boots as theyre so much cheaper than the branded ones. You can get Cetirizine Hydrochoride, but only the Loratadine says non-drowsy on them.