The pharmaceutical industry has a mixed view of generics and these shows up in the way drugs are marketed. Every manufacturer wants to promote the sales of its big-selling branded drugs. Once the research and development costs have been recovered, they are very high-profit products either until the end of the patent period or until the other manufacturers independently recreate the chemistry or patent their own versions. To protect the home market during the term of the patent, manufacturers therefore push the message the branded drugs are the trusted, reliable drugs. The generics are cheap copies which may be fake because they come from foreign manufacturers, or may be under strength or contaminated because of poor manufacturing standards. This is scare tactics designed to deter you from logging on to the internet and buying “cheap” drugs from international pharmacies. The manufacturers want you paying top dollar and keeping their profit margins high. But the patents run out and, whether the manufacturers want it or not, the generics appear and drive down the price of the affected drugs. This is finally good news for all those who have been buying at their local drugstores.

At this point, the manufacturers sing a slightly different tune. They must suddenly be reassuring. You will be relieved to know the FDA must approve a generic before it can be sold on to the US market. That ensures you are protected. There is still the risk of the foreign manufacturers – those unscrupulous people who have been trying to take all your money by selling at prices way lower than the US manufacturers. Anything foreign is dangerous and you will risk your own health or the health of your loved ones if you buy through an international pharmacy. This is, of course, all propaganda designed to protect the home markets. The international pharmacies sell to countries all round the world. If they were selling fake or dangerous drugs, the word would spread like wildfire and they would quickly go out of business. Yet the same pharmacies have been in business for years.

Now that we have everything clear, let us get to the news. A US manufacturer has spent the money to get FDA approval for Tramadol Hydrochloride Extended Release tablets. This is a generic version of Ultram ER for those of you who like the better known brad name. The trademark is held by Valeant and this deal allows the intellectual property rights holder to continue the revenue stream, adding a slice of the generic revenue to its revenue from the continuing sales of the branded version. This way the US manufacturers keep more of the money in their hands. If foreign manufacturers were allowed to sell directly into the US, it would dramatically affect the local profits.

Why should you seriously consider using the generic extended version? There are two answers. First, even though you are buying from a local manufacturer, you will save money as against the branded version. Second, Ultram ER is excellent if you have a long-term pain problem. For example, those who suffer arthritis often feel stiff when they wake in the morning. The extended version leaves more active painkiller in the bloodstream for long and makes it easier to get up in the morning.