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Generic drugs replace name brands
at steady rate; supplies are limited
By Melisa Hohlt
Reporter
Generic drugs are steadily replac
ing some name-brand drugs in many
homes and are saving consumers a
lot of money, two local pharmacists
say.
Generic drugs always have been
available, pharmacist Debbie Wood
says, but not all drugs have a generic
equivalent.
The patent on a name-brand drug
must expire before another com
pany can begin manufacturing the
drug and selling it under a new
name, she says.
Another reason for limited num
bers of generics is money, Wood
says. If very few patients use a par
ticular drug, she says, a company
would lose more money making a
generic than it would gain from sell
ing one.
Wood says time-release drugs,
such as Contac, cannot be substi
tuted because the time-release factor
is difficult to pinpoint.
A doctor must specify on a pre
scription whether the patient is to re
ceive a name-branci drug or whether
a generic can be substituted, Wood
says.
If the doctor permits a generic
substitute, patients can discuss it
with the pharmacist and decide
which drug they would rather take.
Generic drugs are 20 percent to
50 percent cheaper than name
brand drugs because name-brand
companies already have spent the
time and money to develop the
product.
Because generic companies can
produce the same product without
having to test it, they can offer it to
pharmacies for less money than
name-brand drugs, and it can be
sold to patients for less money.
The generics are the same prod
uct, Wood says, except for the inac
tive ingredients and fillers used to
hold the tablets together. She says
Generic houses that manufacture
generic drugs do not have the exper
tise of bigger manufacturers.
These houses also do not have as
much to lose as the larger manufac
turers, often resulting in a poorer
product, Foster says.
Foster used the example of aspi
rin to demonstrate differences
among medicines.
If one company produces aspirin
that is packed very hard, he says, the
“If the generic is a quality one, you have the advantage
of it being less expensive. But if ifs not a quality prod
uct, you’re just wasting your money. ”
— Guy Foster, pharmacist
these fillers can cause problems be
cause some people are allergic to
them.
But Skaggs Alpha Beta pharma
cist Guy Foster says all companies
use the same binders arid starches in
their products as fillers, so allergies
should not be of concern.
Foster says generics are 10 per
cent to 20 percent equivalent to their
name-brand counterparts, meaning
the quality of the generic product
may not be the same as that of the
name-brand product.
A lot of generic companies pro
duce generic drugs, he says.
The manufacturing process is im
portant to the outcome of the prod
uct, Foster says.
product will pass through the body
without being absorbed.
If another company produces the
same product that is not packed as
hard, th,e aspirin is absorbed by the
body and is more effective.
Wood says if one product is 20
percent greater in effectiveness than
another, the product could be toxic.
But if it is 20 percent less effective
than the same product as a name
brand, it could be ineffective.
Wood says pharmacists receive
catalogs from drug companies from
which they can order generic drugs.
The prices range from extremely
low to just lower name-brand prices.
But Wood says that because of
these mail-order companies, a pa
tient may get confused.
One month he may get a pink pill,
and the next month he may get a
blue pill for the same drug.
This is because mail-order compa
nies use different drug companies
and may not buy from the same one
all the time, she says.
The source of generics depends
on the pharmacist’s judgment,
Wood says.
“The key is to make sure you buy
from a reputable pharmacy,” Wood
says. “I go with a drug company I
know and trust.”
But Foster says pharmacies’ com
panies may choose the drug compa
nies, or pharmacies may purchase
generic drugs through wholesalers.
The pharmacy should buy from
reputable manufacturers, he says,
and not always buy the cheapest on
the market.
“You want it to work,” Foster says.
“If the generic is a quality one, you
have the advantage of it being less
expensive.
But if it’s not a quality product,
you’re just wasting your money.”
The only way to be sure a phar
macy is reputable, Foster says, is to
trust the pharmacist.
If a generic drug is being substi
tuted, he says, Texas law forbids the
pharmacist to use the name-brand
equivalent on the prescription.
Foster says the pharmacist cannot
even say the generic is the same as
the name-brand one because the pa
tient could be misled into believing
he’s buying something he isn’t.
Official: Texas not given equal funding
Commissioner: Imbalance hurts health-care programs
By Robert Morris
Stuff Writer
Texas has long been denied equal
federal funding for substance abuse
and mental health programs because
of the formulas used to allocate
money to states, an official of the
Texas Commission on Alcohol and
Drug Abuse said.
Bill Brichter, public information
officer for the commission, said
those formulas, which require fund
ing to remain at least at an equal
level to the previous year in every
state, have resulted in unbalanced al
location.
In an attempt to correct the situa
tion, U.S. Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, D-
Texas, has introduced legislation to
insure equity of funding in Texas
under the Alcohol, Drug Abuse and
Mental Health Block Grant pro
gram.
The Bentsen bill would increase
funding for Texas by 44.8 percent.
Currently, the average per capita
allocation of ADAMH f unds is $2.21,
with rates ranging as low as $1.01 in
Iowa to as high as $6.48 in Vermont.
The per capita rate in Texas is $1.51,
according to a study by the Institute
on Health and Aging at the Univer
sity of California.
Texas has 6.4 percent of the pop
ulation, but is receiving around 4.5
Commissioner says U.S. may fund
study on high-speed rail system
By Melanie Perkins
Stuff Writer
The Texas Railroad Commission
| has received a preliminary commit
ment from the Federal Railroad Ad
ministration for $875,000 in federal
funds to study the potential for
high-speed rail passenger service in
| Texas, Railroad Commissioner
[James Nugent said in a recent press
1 release.
Brian Schaible, director of infor-
| mation services for the commission,
said the commission sent the FRA a
detailed plan of exactly how the
| money will be spent and is awaiting
final approval.
The money would be spent study-
I ing possible routes and ridership for
the high-speed rail, costs of the pro
ject, financing options, operating
revenues, economic impact and the
best type of high-speed rail technol
ogy for the state, Schaible said.
One of the areas being considered
for the project is what’s become
known as the Texas Triangle — the
Dallas-Fort Worth-Houston-San An
tonio corridors. Schaible said be
cause of the high cost of the pro
ject — in the billions — only corri
dors between major economic cen
ters are being considered.
Schaible said high-speed rail serv
ice is designed for moving people
over distances in relatively short pe
riods.
“The idea is that you have a rail
system that is designed to carry pas
sengers at speeds in excess of 100
mph,” he said.“In some cases, high
speed rail tests have been run in
other countries where the trains
have exceeded 200 mph.”
In many cases, he said, travel by
high-speed rail will be faster than
travel by plane when travel to and
from the airport is considered.
Price will have to be competitive
with air travel, he said, or no one will
ride the trains. But the actual price
charged to the passenger will de
pend on a number of factors, includ
ing the type of financing obtained.
“Obviously Texas doesn’t have $3
billion in its new budget to go out
and build high-speed rails,” he said.
The key question is what combina
tion of federal, state and private
funds could be assembled to make
the railway feasible, he said.
percent of the funds, Britcher said.
Bentsen’s formula would base al
location on the number of at-risk in
dividuals in a given state. The for
mula changes would be phased in
over a five-year period.
The category of at-risk individuals
is based on the number of people
within age groups that are consid
ered to be susceptible to abusing
drugs or alcohol. The category in
cludes the population between the
ages of 18 and 24 and is weighted
more heavily toward males.
The bill is supported by many
powerful legislators, including Sen.
William Proxmire, D-Wisconsin, and
U.S. Rep. Mickey Leland, D-Hous-
ton, and is backed by the entire
Texas delegation, Britcher said. The
House is working on similiar legis
lation that has the support of House
Speaker Jim Wright, he added.
However, there is also strong op
position from states currently receiv
ing what Britcher terms “more than
their fair share.”
“Texas is just not getting a fair re
turn on its tax dollars at this time,”
he said.
Becky Davis, executive director of
the commission, said it is about a
half-and-half situation, in terms of
appropriate allocation.
“While chances are good for pas
sage, there is also strong opposi
tion,” she said.
Britcher agrees, saying that there
have been two other attempts t6
change the formula earlier in the de
cade that have been defeated.
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103 S. College Skaggs Center
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APRIL 26
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