Generic versions of brand-name medications have the same ingredients and formula, but can vary in their physical appearance between manufacturers. Although these differences have no effect on a medication’s efficacy, patients may be confused over the inconsistencies. Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston studied over 10,000 patients, between 2006 and 2011, in the year after they were hospitalized for a heart attack. When the shape or color of a patient’s medication changed the chance they stopped taking or refilling the drug increased by 66 and 34 percent, respectively.
With patient compliance already an issue in healthcare, something as simple as the look of a pill can make matters worse. The FDA recently addressed such concerns by issuing guidance to manufacturers on the physical attributes of generic medications. The researchers behind the study suggest that the FDA could require the physical characteristics of a generic drug to match its brand-name counterpart. They also mention that doctors (as well as pharmacists) should inform patients that these superficial differences may occur with their medications.
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Source: DIA
