| Generic medicines have made inroads towards the | | | | effective for you? Knowing the active ingredient in |
| path previously held by brand-name products in the | | | | your medication and what it essentially does for your |
| last two decades. The high price of branded medicines | | | | condition will help you make an informed decision about |
| is starting to become the focus of attention especially | | | | which medicine to take - and one which is not only |
| with the cost of healthcare throughout the world | | | | based on the price. |
| remaining prohibitive. The high prices that people used | | | | This goes as well for medications for gender-specific |
| to pay for branded medicines are now becoming less | | | | concerns - such as Erectile Dysfunction. One of the |
| and less an automatic decision for people buying their | | | | top lifestyle medications today for the condition is |
| medication today perhaps because of an awareness | | | | Viagra with sales hovering over the $1 billion mark. |
| that the same medication produced by other | | | | With its immense popularity, it is inevitable that the |
| pharmaceutical companies may cost substantially less | | | | demand for a generic equivalent will be quite high as |
| but may have the same quality. | | | | well - but this opens the doors for counterfeit |
| Although initially encountering resistance due to the | | | | medications. So prudence and caution should be |
| massive propaganda campaign brought on by the | | | | exercised in this aspect. The active ingredient of |
| manufacturers of branded medicines who have | | | | Viagra is Sildenafil Citrate, and the drug is |
| invested heavily on research and brand advertising, | | | | manufactured by Pfizer. Pfizer also manufactures |
| people are wising up to the equation that Generics, or | | | | Revatio, which is also Sildenafil Citrate, but is prescribed |
| "Biosimilar" products, should have the same efficacy as | | | | for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension and for improving |
| those with recognizable brand names. So long as the | | | | exercise ability. |
| same standards are applied to evaluate the safety | | | | Tadalafil, which is based on the chemical compound |
| and efficacy of both generic and branded medical | | | | IC351, is marketed under the brand name Cialis. It |
| products, then misinformation and negative | | | | works pretty much like Viagra, but has a longer |
| propaganda will not have any room in the people's | | | | potency period of 36 hours, thus earning the moniker |
| minds at all. | | | | the "weekend pill". |
| On the medical prescription side, doctors are actually | | | | Vardenafil, marketed under the brand name Levitra, is |
| trained to prescribe generic names of medications for | | | | another Erectile Dysfunction medication. It works also |
| particular illnesses. Brand names were often introduced | | | | pretty much like Viagra, but at lower dosages. Levitra |
| into the equation when the pharmaceutical companies | | | | is available at 2.5mg, 5mg, 10 mg, and 20mg doses, |
| lobbied with the doctors to push certain brands into the | | | | with the 10mg dose being more or less equivalent to a |
| preferred prescriptions. | | | | 50 mg dose of Viagra. |
| On the consumer side, the key to choosing a suitable | | | | Viagra, Revatio, Levitra, and Cialis all work to provide a |
| generic product is to know the "AI" or Active Ingredient | | | | temporary treatment for Erectile Dysfunction. All four |
| of the medication. The label of the medicine you | | | | are PDE5 Inhibitor medications. And although each one |
| purchase holds the key. Other than the brand name, it | | | | may have subtle variations from the others, when |
| will prominently have the "Active Ingredient" displayed | | | | properly prescribed by your healthcare physician, |
| beside or below the product name. For instance, | | | | anyone of them will probably work to suit your need |
| paracetamol is an active ingredient in most branded | | | | but it would be best to seek advice from your trusted |
| anti-inflammatory or headache relief tablets. But which | | | | health care professional before deciding on anything. |
| brand and at which dosage would be the most | | | | |