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9 | W aterloo C hronicle | T hursday,M arch 18,2021 w aterloochronicle.ca 65 University Ave. E. Waterloo 519.746.6133 More than just a pharmacy! What this means for you? As a trained, PCCA member pharmacist, we can personalize medicine for patients who need specific • Strengths • Dosage forms • Flavors • Ingredients excluded from medications due to allergies or other sensitivities "We take special pride in being a Customs Medication Compounding Pharmacy, one of few in the area." 105 Oak Park Dr #4, Waterloo • 519.885.5555 Visit us at www.pharmasave.com Patty Vamvakitis Pharmacist/Owner Carriage Crossing Pharmacy Email: ccps@bellnet.ca Open 6 days a week with services such as: • New Patients Welcome • Easy Prescription Transfer • Medication Reviews • Blister Packaging • Blood Pressure Monitoring • Local Delivery* • Curbside pick-up *See store for details March is Pharmacy AppreciationMonth Friendly Professional Team... where your total health is our goal!Friendly Professional Team... where your to • Free Blood Glucose Monitor & Teaching • Free Blood Pressure Che k • Compounding • Flu Vaccinations 373 Bridge St.Waterloo www.thpharmacy.com eck loo .com hours Mon.-Fri. 9am-7pm • Sat. 9am-4pm 519-747-0320 How do brand-name and generic drugs differ? Some people are skeptical about the ef- fectiveness of generic drugs. Others are adamantly opposed to paying more for brand-name medications. Either way, many Canadians are unsure about the difference between brand-name and ge- nericdrugs.Here'swhatyou should know. IngredIents Brand-name drugs and their correspon- ding generic versions contain the same active ingredients, but their excipients may differ. Since Health Canada has strict regulations about inactive ingredients, however, the list of substances that can be used as preservative, colouring or fla- vouring agents is limited. Furthermore, variations are only problematic if the pa- tienthas anallergyor sensitivity tooneof the inactive ingredients. Cost Generic medications cost significantly less than their brand-name counterparts. In 2018, generic drugs accounted for nearly 72 per cent of retail prescriptions in Canada, but only 20 per cent of the country's annual spending on prescrip- tion drugs. This is because generic drug companies have minimal research and development expenses.They simplywait for the patent to expire on a new drug molecule and then copy the formula. effICaCy Brand-name and corresponding generic drugs are required by Health Canada to have no clinically significant differences between the rate and extent to which their active ingredients are absorbed. Therefore, bioequivalent drugs are unli- kely to produce clinically significant dif- ferences in therapeutic and side effects. Some studies have flagged potential ad- verse effects when switching patients to certain generic drugs, such as antidepres- sants and anti-psychotics, but more re- search is required to understand this. In most cases, brand-name and generic drugs are essentially equivalent and can be safely interchanged. Nonetheless, if you have any questions or concerns about yourmedication, be sure to consult your local pharmacist.