Are Generic Medications Safe for my Dog or Cat?

Know The Facts About Generic Medications

Have you ever questioned whether generic medications are really as good as the name brand medications? Or why there is a cost saving? Generic medications work the same way as brand-name medications do, and they are proven to have the same safety as the brand names. They contain the same active ingredient and are made to be used in the same exact way. The FDA strictly requires that all generics have the same dosage, effectiveness, strength, stability, and quality while in comparison to their brand name counterparts. As a result, generics also carry the same side effects, risks, and benefits as the brand name. The FDA regulates generic medications for both humans and animals, learn more on their website.

Generic drugs and brand name drugs have the same

  • Active Ingredient
  • Strength
  • Dosage Form (tablet, liquid, powder, etc)
  • Route of administration (oral, topical, etc)
  • Indications for use
  • Stability
  • Purity
  • Manufacturer Requirements
  • Safety

Generics may include different inactive ingredients such as preservatives or fillers. The FDA also ensures the inactive ingredients of the generic medicine are acceptable. Because trademark laws prevent generic drugs from looking just like the brand name drug, the color and size may be different.

Why are generics cheaper?

Manufacturers of generic drugs do not have to repeat the costly laboratory and clinical trials that the brand name company invested in to gain the first FDA approval. This allows them to produce and sell the medication at a lower cost. When several companies begin to make the same medication, the competition helps keep the price down.

Manufacturing & Monitoring

Both brand name and generic drugs are manufactured with the same strict and high-quality standards by the FDA. The drugs must both be formulated to contain the same active ingredient in the same amounts. All ingredients, both active and inactive, must meet stringent quality standards.

After a generic drug is approved by the FDA, the quality and monitoring process continues. This includes ongoing tests for stability and reporting of side effects.

What medication is right for my pet?

When it comes to your dog or cat, you should always talk with your veterinarian first about medication options. You and your veterinarian should discuss the safety and efficacy of a drug before giving it to your pet. Also, visit the FDA website for information on generic medications.

VetRxDirect offers a large variety of generic and brand name medications. We listed some of the most popular below. Find more on our website.

Carprofen                               Triheart Plus                          Enrofloxacin

Generic Rimadyl Carprofen at VetRXDirectTri-Heart Plus at VetRxDirectGeneric Bayril Enrofloxacin at VetRxDirect

 

Furosemide                       Amoxicillin Clavulanate             Clindamycin

Generic Disal Furosemide at VetRxDirectGeneric Clavamox at VetRXDirectClindamycin at VetRxDirect

 

Pharmacy Technician Day at VetRxDirect

In honor of National Pharmacy Technician Day, we are acknowledging our dedicated staff of veterinary and pharmaceutical professionals who are—of course—animal lovers, too! The VetRxDirect pharmacy technicians and pharmacists work with veterinarians to verify and obtain written prescriptions, prepare and dispense prescription and non-prescription medications for pets, and compound custom medicines that are easier to administer to dogs and cats. We also thank our pharmacy team for their hard work and dedication to high-quality pharmacy practices through the Dot-Pharmacy and PCAB Compounding Accreditation. VetRxDirect is committed to providing safety and excellence in pharmaceutical care for your pets.

Want to show our pharmacy technicians your support? Chat with our team on our website, email us at info@vetrxdirect.com or leave us a comment below or on Facebook with #RxTechDay.

Dot-Pharmacy Ensures Safe Online Medications For Pets

VetRxDirect has continually held the Veterinary-Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites™ (Vet-VIPPS) seal, a rigorous accreditation program through the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy® (NABP®). The Vet-Vipps seal ensured animal owners they were buying safe medications and medical devices from a licensed, regulated pharmacy. Due to the increase of online fraudulent and criminal activity, the pharmacy websites could display fake certification logos and were selling counterfeit, unapproved, and potentially dangerous medications to consumers. As a continued effort to protect consumers and their pets, the Vet-Vipps program was merged and replaced by the NABP .pharmacy verified websites program. We encourage you to learn more about the Vet-VIPPS merge by visiting the NABP website.

What is .pharmacy?

.pharmacy is a program that verifies safe and legitimate pharmacy websites. It also develops a set of strict standards and policies with NAPB and the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) to ensure online sites are legal and appropriately regulated. The goal is to protect people and animals from potentially dangerous medications and to give you a peace of mind when buying online:

How Do I Know An Online Pharmacy Is Safe?

Protect yourself and your pet by looking for .pharmacy in the website address/URL or by checking the .pharmacy website registry to make sure that your pet’s online pharmacy is accredited by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP). Simple as that!

Dedicated to Safety

By registering with the .pharmacy program, VetRxDirect proudly demonstrates to our clients the continued commitment to high-quality pharmacy practices and excellence in pharmaceutical care for your pets. VetRxDirect is also an accredited compounding pharmacy.

Bizrate Platinum Earned by VetRxDirect

Bizrate Circle of Excellence - See VetRxDirect Pet Pharmacy Reviews at Bizrate.com

VetRxDirect Earns Bizrate Circle of Excellence Platinum Award
for Outstanding Customer Satisfaction

VetRxDirect Wins Highest Designation from Bizrate in its First Year of Eligibility

VetRxDirect, Inc., an online veterinary pharmacy focusing on supporting the doctor-client-patient relationship, received the 2015 Circle of Excellence Platinum Award from Bizrate Insights, one of the largest sources of consumer-generated reviews of online retailers in the United States. The Awards are given to retailers that received outstanding online customer satisfaction scores in the past year. Scores are collected from millions of verified buyers. VetRxDirect won the award in its first year of eligibility.

“Receiving the 2015 Bizrate Circle of Excellence Platinum Award is a huge honor,” says Wes Hepker, Director of VetRxDirect. “This validates the fact that our pharmacy technicians and support staff really do care about our customers and their pets, and do everything possible to fill orders quickly.” The Platinum Award, the highest level of distinction, goes to retailers that achieved at least a 9 out of 10 score on seven key satisfaction indicators. VetRxDirect received a 9.4 out of 10 for overall satisfaction. Criteria measured for the awards include: overall satisfaction, product selection, on-time delivery, customer support, and ease of finding what you are looking for.

Hepker notes that this is the first year VetRxDirect was eligible to even be judged for the award, so to have received the highest designation is especially important. “We are very proud of the fact that we won the award in our first year of eligibility. And we’re committed to upholding this high standard going forward,” says Hepker.

Only 187 online retailers received the Bizrate Circle of Excellence Award. Of those, 84 received the Platinum Award because they had scores that were significantly higher than the average for the rest of the Network. In 2015, only the top 2.6% of all retailers within the Bizrate Insights North American Retailer Network received the Platinum designation.

Visit www.vetrxidirect.com for more information about the company.

About VetRxDirect Pet Pharmacy:
VetRxDirect is an online veterinary pharmacy founded by a long-time, trusted Midwestern veterinarian. The Iowa-based company emphasizes the importance of the doctor-client-patient relationship, which is the foundation of the veterinary profession. VetRxDirect is staffed with pharmaceutical and veterinary experts who deliver veterinary medicines and supplies to pet parents in all 50 states. VetRxDirect also offers compounding services to customized medications for dogs and cats.

Learn How to Find a Reputable Online Pet Pharmacy.

We’ve talked in the past about the importance for you, your veterinarian and your pet to work with a reputable, licensed, and accredited pet pharmacy. Recently, ’60 Minutes’ aired a segment revealing how fake drugs are spreading around the world.

How can you be certain your pet’s drugs are the real thing? Watch this ’60 Minutes’ Web Extra and learn as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent explains how to find a legitimate online pharmacy.

Not only do counterfeit drugs not work, they may be dangerous and even deadly. Protect yourself and your pet by looking for and clicking on the Vet-VIPPS ‘Click to Verify’ logo from the pharmacy’s website to confirm your pet’s pharmacy is accredited by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP).