Brändilääkkeitä

Brändilääkkeitä, known in English as branded or originator medications, are pharmaceutical products that are manufactured and marketed by the company that originally developed and patented the drug. These medications are typically the first version of a particular drug to be approved and sold. When a company develops a new active pharmaceutical ingredient with therapeutic benefits, they often seek patent protection. This patent grants them exclusive rights to market and sell the drug for a specified period, allowing them to recoup their research and development costs and generate profit.

Brändilääkkeitä are often characterized by their brand name, which is a trademarked name chosen by the pharmaceutical company. They undergo rigorous testing and clinical trials to demonstrate safety and efficacy before receiving regulatory approval from health authorities like the European Medicines Agency (EMA) or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Due to the significant investment in research, development, and marketing, brändilääkkeitä are generally more expensive than their generic counterparts.

Once the patent protection on a brändilääke expires, other pharmaceutical companies are permitted to manufacture and market generic versions of the drug. Generic medications contain the same active ingredient, are administered in the same dosage form and strength, and are proven to be bioequivalent to the branded drug. They are typically sold at a lower price due to the absence of the initial research and development costs and marketing expenditures associated with the originator product. The availability of both branded and generic options provides consumers and healthcare systems with choices based on cost and availability, while ensuring therapeutic equivalence for many treatments.