Eli5: what is the difference between a generic drug to the original drug, and why do some doctors will swear by the original drug?
In: 1046
Say company A invents a new drug. Producing the drug is not costly, and could easily be sold for cheap. However, a lot (as in: really a lot) of money goes into research, and the company obviously wants that money back, so the price won’t reflect the production cost, but also the research money.
Company B just needs to know the formula, produce it, and sell for cheap to still make a profit, as they didn’t have to do the research.
That’s why drugs are patented, to allow the Company A’s to get that money back, before the Company B’s start selling it for cheaper. Those B’s would be generic.
As to why doctors stick to the original ones, I don’t know.
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