[Reporter's view] Generic drugs can't be me-too drug

Controversy is brewing over the government's push to replace the term "generic" with me-too-drug.

 

The KPBMA and the Korean Pharmaceutical Association immediately objected.

 

They stress that it is not enough to contain all the meanings of the term generic in the term copy drug.

 

The backlash from the pharmaceutical industry seems reasonable.

 

This is because there is a very large difference.

 

The meaning of generic is the same as general.

 

It is also defined in the dictionary as 'comprehensive', 'no characteristics', and 'no name'.

 

The English dictionary describes it as "not sold or made under a specific brand name" as the second meaning.

 

Me-too drug is defined as 'making or doing the same thing as the original'.

 

The word 'Reproduction' or 'Copy' is more like the word 'Generic'.

 

However, no generic drug is named Reproduced Medicine or Copy Drug anywhere in the UK.

 

Even if you look at the process of generics development, it is different from a me-too-drug.

 

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety explains that generic drugs are "first developed (original) drugs and drugs that are made equal in the content of main ingredients, how to take them, efficacy, effectiveness, and quality." It goes through a process called a biological equivalence test to see if the original and generic are the same.

 

Instead of simply copying the original, it is necessary to examine whether the efficacy and safety of the human body are the same, and then undergo a separate permission review.

 

This is why the KPBMA expressed its opinion, saying, "It is not the result of reproduction created as if it were simply printed." If a generic is replaced with a generic drug, there is a high concern that it will be recognized differently from the essence of the general public.

 

The Korean Pharmaceutical Association is concerned that "it may be sold under the name of 'fake medicine' or 'copy medicine' in the sense of the word cloning." Language is a vessel for thought.

 

It's not just a symbol to express things.

 

It acts like a kind of formwork that determines the scope of perception.

 

If generic drugs are replaced by the term me-too drug, it is difficult to escape the range of recognition of 'replication'.

 

The term generic may be a somewhat unfamiliar word from the perspective of the general public.

 

Nevertheless, me-too-drug should not be a substitute for a generic.

 

The word me-too drug does not seem appropriate to represent the nature of generic.