E-DRUG: Generic drugs and non-active ingredients

E-drug: Generic drugs and non-active ingredients
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As a non-professional, I have been following the correspondence on
generic drugs with interest. But I am reminded of a letter which
appeared in the 3/2/96 issue of Lancet. In this the respondent
reported that a manufacturer of generic co-trimoxazole DS was using
docusate sodium and magnesium stearate as fillers in these tablets.
He raised the concern that both of these substances have laxative
effects. He noted that this drug is used to treat PCP in people with
AIDS, and that, in the doses which they take, the fillers could
exacerbate the chronic diarrhoea, nausea, and vomiting which often
accompany this disease.

He raised the point that it can be very difficult to learn what
fillers and excipients a generic-drug manufacturer is adding to a
product.

Is this a reasonable concern?

Chris

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Chris W. Green (chrisg@rad.net.id)
Jakarta, Indonesia
Tel: +62-21 846-3029 Fax: +62-21 846-1247
Email: chrisg@rad.net.id

---Note from the moderator:
Every product (incl. generics) should be registered by a national
Drug Regulatory Authority. They should refuse "non-active" ingredients
that do have side-effects, as the "non-active" ingredients are normally
not included in the package insert, and thus patients and doctors
might not be aware. Any real life examples among E-druggers about
this problem?

Wilbert Bannenberg, E-drug moderator email 73377.3055@compuserve.com

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