Brand name drugs versus generics. When it comes to ibuprofen, there is considerable confusion about the effectiveness of brands compared to their generic equivalents. Is it worth paying the premium for the brand name products?
Ibuprofen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used to relieve mild to moderate pain, inflammation, and fever, all of which are promoted by the release in the body of chemicals called prostaglandins. Ibuprofen works by blocking the enzyme that makes prostaglandins (cyclooxygenase), resulting in lower levels of prostaglandins. The painkilling effect begins soon after a dose is taken, but it may need to be taken regularly to reduce inflammation.
There are different types of ibuprofen available in the UK that are made by many different manufacturers. The most common type is ibuprofen acid but other types include ibuprofen sodium, ibuprofen lysine which do begin to provide pain relief more quickly than ibuprofen acid.
Ibuprofen does not specifically target pain in different parts of the body and it will work where more prostaglandins are being produced because of pain or inflammation. Following a recent court case in Australia in which the makers of Nurofen, Reckitt Benckiser, were required to remove products in the Nurofen pain relief range because it was considered that the packaging was misleading customers, as it suggested different brands were each designed to treat a specific type of pain when they contained an identical products.
Both brand and generic versions have the same active ingredient – ibuprofen. Therefore, there is no reason to expect one product to be more effective than another, assuming the same dosage is taken. Note that there may be slight variations in how long it takes a tablet to dissolve once ingested due to differences in tablet coatings. Generic ibuprofen products differ slightly in terms of their non-active ingredients (binders, flavouring, and colouring agents) but all have the same active ingredient – ibuprofen.
Written by Judith Spruzs