Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) is favoured by many patients including myself. Theoretically,there shouldn't be a difference, but nevertheless, patient reporting confirms the preference.
A doctor who before med school was a big pharma rep told me that name brands adhered to doseage values strictly, as a necessary component to achieving approval from regulatory agencies. But when patents expire and generics appear, those generics do not need to, or follow, guidelines which are as strict. He concluded that when taking a med where strict doseage compliance was more essential, such as with steroids, name brands are preferable. But when taking meds where a multi day average was all that was needed, such as antibiodics, that generics are fine. Of course, stabilizers and preservatives do vary from brand to brand, and some of us may react differently to these, and often altering reaction to the med’s active ingredient.
Plaquenil is no longer made under that brand name. It was made by Sanofi. Zentiva is a sister company of Sanofi and they say that the Zentiva hydroxychloroquine is the replacement for it. So you ask for the Zentiva generic tablet now. Lupus UK have a thread about it on here too.
Thanks, I’m going to ask my GP about it. I’ve had no side effects from generic med so I’ll be interested to see if I notice a benefit with the original.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.