Paige Hutton
Professor Meenan
ENG123-B
24 February 2019
Research Proposal: Part Two
Walking down any medication aisle of a store, it is commonly noted that there is such a
plentiful array of drugs available to the public. Most of these drugs are labeled with strangely
long and confusing names, so which ones are the right drugs to take? This problem is associated
with generic drugs, which must often go by their ridiculously incomprehensible chemical names.
and brand-names going by much simpler labels. While this issue does indeed paint generic drugs
in a negative connotation, there is evidence that suggests that the benefits of taking these said
drugs outweigh those of brand-name drugs. Patients being prescribed generic drugs is most
beneficial to the individual's overall health because as opposed to brand-name drugs, they tend to
have the same efficiency with lower costs and higher adherence rates.
Generic Drugs VS. Brand-Names (Problem)
What is the problem at the core of this whole controversy?
o The technical naming of generic drugs is an obstacle in and of itself. The common
person will not know what acetaminophen is the exact same as Tylenol, except
Tylenol is under then brand-name of the company.
FDA Backlog
o Rumor has it that companies may bribe the FDA in order to keep the generic
version of their drug in the process of testing by the FDA. By doing so, the
companies are virtually eliminating the competition for their drug and therefore,
they are able to raise their prices (Pollack, par. 4)
What is the cause for the difference?
o Monopolization of Medicine
"What has further fueled the increases is that the expected generic, from
Teva, was unexpectedly rejected by the Food and Drug Administration.
And a nongeneric alternative, Sanofi's Auvi-Q, was pulled from the
market last year because of dosing problems." (Pollack, par. 6)
o Marketing advantage
When brand-name companies slap a common, simpler name on a drug.
they make it seem more familiar. Therefore, customers are more likely to
buy this product, resulting in profits for the company.
What is an example of this crisis in action?
o EpiPen example
- As Pollack states in his article with regards to the medical supergiant
Mylan, "the company was once taking two 10 percent price increases a
year, it has made two 15 percent increases annually starting in 2014, when
the generic competition seemed imminent," (Pollack, par. 4).
Efficiency (Results)
Study with epileptic patients
o In 2015, a study was conducted to compare the effectiveness between generic
drugs and name-brand drugs with a group of epileptic patients. The results were
compared in three categories: immediate effectiveness, patient adherence, and
overall success rate. (
Issues with medical literacy
o Have a better system for doctors to explain it to their patients?
A possible solution for patients to better understand their drugs, especially
generic drugs, is to have the CDC constitute a baseline assessment to test a
patient's knowledge. This would help reduce the negative connotation
against generic drugs and th