Generic Pets Medicine

admin on 08 6, 2009

Some pet owners are still a little sceptical about buying generic pets medicine. With your pet’s health at the forefront of your mind, of course you want to be careful. But avoiding generic pets medicine means missing the chance to make significant savings on your pet’s medications.

We understand most consumers looking into online pet meds, are looking to save a little time and money. The convenience and economy of making purchases online are the reason sales in pet medications via the Internet are growing so fast. With that in mind, surely you do not want to miss another opportunity to make even greater savings?

Developing New Pets Medications

So with this in mind, lets have a little delve into the world of medicinal drug regulation and licensing. For a new product to be licensed as a pets medicine it must be approved by the FDA. The process can take years, and requires all aspects of the drugs use be tested for safety and efficacy, and that is after the company have already spent years developing the new medicine. If the product is deemed safe and effective a license will be granted for its manufacture.

Of course all those years of research, development, testing and license application cost the manufacturer hugely. This is why, when the new pet medicine is deemed safe and effective, the original manufacturer is granted a monopoly on its use for a certain length of time. This will depend on the country in question but is usually for 25 years. This gives manufacturer’s of pet medications a guaranteed monopoly period in which to recoup all the development costs incurred. Without this period, the incentive to develop new medicines would easily be outweighed by the costs involved.

New Generic Pets Medicine

Once the monopoly period is over, any manufacturer may apply for a license to produce its own product based on the original branded pet medicine. To qualify as a generic product, the quality and dose of all active ingredients must be identical to the brand.

The generic pets medicine still undergoes rigorous testing but, with the knowledge of what already works, the money spent on this is far less than in the original development of the product.

All generic pets medicines have to be proven to be interchangeable with the original branded product. This guarantees the pet owner the same quality of care whether they use the brand or the generic, or indeed if they switch between the two.

The FDA website contains a huge volume of useful information on the subject, though it can be a little difficult to navigate at times. But this FAQ excerpt is probably all the average pet owner really needs to know (it certainly put our minds at rest anyway).

Are generic animal drugs as safe as the original drugs?

Under the provisions of the Generic Animal Drug and Patent Term Restoration Act (GADPTRA), the sponsor of a generic animal drug product must submit an Abbreviated New Animal Drug Application (ANADA) for review and approval before the product can be legally marketed. The generic product and its uses must be the same as those of an approved animal drug, with certain exceptions, and it must be demonstrated that the generic product is bioequivalent to the approved product.

Making Savings with Generic Pets Medicine

Due to the changing nature of pets medicine and the continual development of new products, not all our popular pets medications are available in generic form. But, over time those proven popular do become available as generics, and when they do, it is certainly worth looking out for them.

For example in the area of heartworm medicine, the popular Heartgard heartworm pill has been around for a while. It has proved that ivermectin based monthly heartworm pills work safely and effectively to eliminate any risk of the parasitic disease in dogs. There are several manufacturers making generic versions of these ivermecting heartworm pills. The Australian made Valuheart and Nuheart are now so popular they have almost become brands of their own. Choosing one of these rather than Heartgard for your dog will give you savings of 40 – 50%.

For ongoing pets medicine which is given over the long term, such savings are definitely worth forgoing the fancy packaging for. They provide the same medicinal benefit at quite literally half the price of the big name brand.

Where to Buy Generic Pets Medicine

We provide great deals on a wide range of generic pets medicine, here at Online Pet Meds.

Your vet may stock a few generic pets medications, but more usually they are tied into deals with certain brands. Online pet med outlets are far more likely to stock a wider range of both branded and generic pets medicine, because their huge turnover and sales volumes gives them much greater buying power.

One note of advice, is that though the medicinal quality of a generic pets medicine is identical to the brand, other factors may differ. For example, flavors and styles of tablet may vary. For the particularly fussy dog this may affect your choice of medicine. For example while Heartgard for dogs is available as a beefy chewable treat, Valuheart comes as a simple tablet. Nuheart though comes in a beef flavoured tablet. This factor may push you towards one generic rather than another. Or, you may of the opinion that any dog will swallow their medicine so long as it is wrapped in some tasty treat such as cheese or meat, in which case the only choice you need to make is which one is the cheapest pets medicine.

Online Pet Medicine