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Claritin Definition

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Medications are a critical player in the healthcare system, and are necessary to maintain or improve a certain level of health and wellness. As discussed in chapter one of our text, prescribed medications are considered a tertiary prevention in that they are to "reduce the impact of an already established disease by minimizing disease-related complications." (Niles, 2018, p.3) Medications are either brand name (meaning that the manufacturer has completed necessary research and development, marketing, as well as promoting) or generic. (Stoppler, n.d.) According to the FDA's web page on this topic (Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, n.d.), generic medications are developed when a manufacturer's exclusivity period is close to expiring, …show more content…

For instance, Claritin (brand name) is a popular over the counter (OTC) allergy medication. Its generic form, loratadine, has the same active ingredients as Claritin; however, has different inactive ingredients that may cause negative reactions. According to one of the product's information pages (LORATADINE - ORAL (Claritin) side effects, medical uses, and drug interactions, n.d.), "This product may contain inactive ingredients, which can cause allergic reactions or other problems." So although this generic medication may be less expensive to the consumer, it may have different side effects than the brand name …show more content…

(Purse, 2017) The manufacturing process for generic drugs may occur in facilities where there is an increased risk of contamination as many of them are manufactured in foreign countries where there are less quality control measures in processing. ("Pros and Cons of Generic Drugs", 2014) Another disadvantage is that when multiple manufactures produce the same generic drug, they may vary in appearance including shape, color, or impression of symbols or numbers. ("Pros and Cons of Generic Drugs", 2014) A certified pharmacy technician explained that customers can be confused when they pick up their medications, and it looks different from the previous times they had their prescriptions

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