Generic drugs are copies of existing Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs. Generics can be provided more cheaply to the consumer because the generic manufacturer has no research and development costs in the generic. To get approval by the...
Most Americans take at least one drug daily, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). In 2002, researchers at JAMA, led by David Kaufman, surveyed nearly 3,000 people aged 18 and up. Eighty-one percent used at least one...
Hypertension, commonly known as high blood pressure, refers to a medical problem in which the force of blood against the blood vessel walls is elevated. MedlinePlus says that signs of hypertension include confusion, chest pain, visual changes, an...
Osteoporosis refers to a medical condition in which the bones thin and lose density. MedlinePlus says that common signs of osteoporosis include bone tenderness or bone pain, neck pain, bone fractures and low back pain. This condition can also lead...
Epilepsy is a disease in which seizures occur suddenly within the brain. MedlinePlus indicates that signs of epilepsy include shaking, loss of consciousness and staring spells. Additional epilepsy signs include emotional changes and a tingling...
A headache refers to a pain that is felt in the scalp, neck or head, says MedlinePlus. MedlinePlus says that signs of a headache include a tight band in the head, trouble sleeping, vomiting or nausea. Fortunately, generic drugs for a headache can...
Asthma is a chronic disease of the lungs that causes symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, tightness in the chest and difficulty breathing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that over 23 million people in the U.S....
There are two main classes of drugs for the treatment of heartburn and gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. According to RxList.com, H2 antagonists work by blocking one of the main producers of acid in the stomach called histamine 2. The...
Generic drugs are a controversial issue. Once the patent on a "name brand" medication expires, it allows other companies to make the same medication in "generic" form. These medications are commonly much cheaper, but the price difference as well...
Heartburn results from movement of stomach acid into the esophagus. Also known as acid reflux, this action occurs because a muscle in the esophagus, called the lower esophageal sphincter, weakens and does not close properly to prevent acid from...
A generic drug contains the same active pharmaceutical ingredient as the original innovator drug product. It is bioequivalent and comparable to the original including intended use, quality, performance, characteristics, dosage form, strength and...
Generic drugs are duplicates of brand-name drugs and must be made to the same high standards as brand name drugs. In June 2003, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said that the use of generic drugs could save U.S. citizens $35 billion over 10...
According to the Mayo Clinic, a migraine is a chronic headache in which you experience mild to severe head pain. Typically, migraines are preceded with auras which are warning signs. For example, you may develop blind spots or flashes of light in...
High blood pressure, medically known as hypertension, refers to a medical condition in which blood pushes against the vessel walls at a high force. The Mayo Clinic states that signs of high blood pressure include headaches, dizziness and...
Methylphenidate hydrochloride (HCl) is a stimulant medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, in children and adults. Available by prescription only, methylphenidate HCl is...
Restless leg syndrome is a condition characterized by the irresistible need to move the legs continually. The feeling, often described as a creeping, tugging or burning sensation, usually occurs at night when the body is at rest. The National...
Wal-Mart has produced an extensive array of over-the-counter generic drugs that in general are cheaper than their name-brand counterparts. The Wal-Mart brand is called Equate. The company has medications for colds, allergies, indigestion and...
Whenever a drug is created by pharmaceutical companies, they have a monopoly on the drug for a set period. The idea is to allow them to recoup their research funds, plus make a profit for the creation. The patent on any drug is 20 years, but since...
A drug is considered generic if it is manufactured and sold without patent protection, and pharmaceutical companies that specialize in these medications are known as generic drug companies. These companies can range from seedy as well as unsafe to...
Pharmaceutical companies bringing a new prescription drug to market typically patent the medication, giving the developer exclusive rights to sell the drug for a set period of time. After the patent expires, other drug manufacturers are permitted...
Prescription drugs are used to treat symptoms of illness or disease. They are distributed with brand names and generic names. Both forms of drugs are tested for efficacy by the Federal Drug Administration. The big difference is that generic drugs...
Generic medications have the same chemical ingredients as those of the brand name drugs. They are typically manufactured by companies other than those that developed the original medicine, and they generally sell at a lower price than the brand...
Physician and scientific researcher Derhard Domagk first discovered sulfa drugs in 1939, winning a Nobel Prize for his development of the drug, prontosil, according to NobelPrize.org. These drugs quickly became popular because they are an...
All medications originally had generic names before the companies that developed them marketed them under their brand names. As long as patent protection applies to a drug, only the creator of the medicine can sell it under that brand name. When...
Generalized anxiety disorder refers to a psychiatric condition in which people develop such symptoms as constant worrying, fatigue, restlessness, trouble sleeping, sweating, diarrhea and nausea. In some instances, people can develop shortness of...
The 2008 report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration states that 20 million Americans, age 12 and older, use illegal drugs. This represents 8 percent of the population age 12 and older using drugs such as marijuana,...
When researchers at pharmaceutical companies develop a new medication, they attribute a generic name for the drug. The marketing department then creates a brand name for the same medication under which the drug will sell. During the first 12 years...
General anxiety and related disorders cause feelings of uneasiness or impending danger that are difficult to shake. Constant worrying or dwelling on problems or issues to the point that patients make themselves ill are symptoms of general anxiety...
General anesthesia is an irreplaceable adjunct to modern surgery. General anesthesia ensures that patients are unconscious, feel no pain, have no memory of the surgery, remain still during the operation and have adequate autonomic nervous system,...
Hepatitis C is an infectious disease carried in the blood and caused by the hepatitis C virus infecting the liver after blood-to-blood contact. Learn more about hepatitis C, including symptoms and treatments, in this video.
Lupus is an autoimmune disorder that causes a general inflammation of bodily tissues. Learn about the proper diet for lupus in this video.
