E-DRUG: The important world of drug prequalification (2)
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dear E-druggers,
I feel obliged to suggest that colleagues disappointed over withdrawal of non-equivalent generic ARVs miss a crucial point: if patients receiving medicines from the Global Fund, PEPFAR and the rest deserve drugs of assured quality, we should praise EDM for raising and enforcing high standards.
Sometimes the tendency to lionize generics leads to an ingenuous assumption that all drug makers are equal. Indeed, the word "generic" is often taken to insinuate that all formulations of a given drug, brand or generic, are interchangeable. In truth, as experience shows, that presumption has little basis in reality.
James B. Russo
Executive Director
The Partnership for Quality Medical Donations (www.pqmd.org)
146 Koenig Rd.
Bernville, PA 19506
USA
610 488 8303
610 488 7036 (fax)
484 269 6470 (mobile)
jbrusso@pqmd.org