Smart people buy generics over brand names

[kenny]

http://money.cnn.com/2014/07/25/news/economy/generic-brands-smart/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Nine times out of 10, pharmacists and doctors will buy the generic version of aspirin, rather than a brand-name like Bayer.
Likewise, professional chefs prefer store-brand sugar, salt and baking powder instead of brand name ingredients.
In short, the most informed consumers usually buy generic products, claims a new paper by economists from Tilburg University in the Netherlands and the University of Chicago.

Their research estimates Americans are wasting about $44 billion a year on name brands, when they could be buying the exact same products if they switched to cheaper store brands.
Store brand products cost on average about half the price of national brands.

Take that bottle of aspirin for example.
A 100-tablet package of 325 mg Bayer Aspirin costs $6.29 on CVS.com.
The CVS version? Just $2.27 when it's regularly priced, and $1.14 when it's on sale.
They both have the same dosage, directions and active ingredient.
But about a quarter of sales on headache remedy drugs in the U.S. go to brand-name products.

So why then are some consumers paying so much for Bayer?
The paper suggests ads are more likely to mislead all but the most knowledgeable consumers.
College-educated shoppers, for example, are less likely to get duped into buying the more expensive brand-name than the broader public.
Meanwhile, the experts -- like pharmacists and physicians -- are the least likely of all to buy the brand name drug.
Whereas the average household buys brand-name pain killers like Bayer, Advil and Tylenol 26% of the time, pharmacists buy brand names only 9% of the time.

A similar trend turns up at grocery stores.
Whereas the average consumer pays for brand-name salt, sugar and baking powder 40% of the time, the most informed foodies -- professional chefs -- only buy these brands 20% of the time.

The study used Nielsen data tracking 77 million shopping trips by about 125,000 households.
In addition to aspirin and baking supplies, it also tracked groceries like milk and eggs, soda, and cereal, and other healthcare products like cold remedies, bandages and contact lens solution.

Contact lens solution was the only healthcare product where the smartest consumers perceive "true quality differences," the study said.

 

[Karl_K]

Just be sure and check the source on the generics and brand names.
I refuse to buy China drugs or food.
You also have to check the ingredients to make sure its not diluted with something else.
I have found honey from china being sold that was less than 25% honey.
The rest was corn syrup or rice syrup and other stuff.

 

[monarch64]

What about the fact FACT that bees are dying and its affecting us all, worldwide?

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/12/business/energy-environment/accused-of-harming-bees-bayer-researches-a-different-culprit.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Sorry ,not sorry. Just had to put it out there. Whoa. Maybe I should get off PS now.

 

[LaraOnline]

I worry that buying generics reduces the rewards for costly research (due to the short shelf-life of the medical patents), thereby limiting the development of new drugs. ???

 

[JewelFreak]

Aspirin is one thing, more complex meds another. My cousin was a leading neurologist specializing in the most severe cases of epilepsy; he saw only patients whom other doctors had given up on. He said he found generics very inconsistent & unreliable -- he felt quality control wasn't quite as strict. One generic might make a patient jazzed up & twitchy & unable to be still, one from another compnay made the same person half-zombie. An extra atom on a molecule could make the effect of the drug completely different. So his experiences led him to use only brand-name meds on his patients.

For common stuff & foods, generics are worth trying. I'm more careful when it's something complicated & delicate.

--- Laurie

 

[Jennifer W]

Eta. never mind. Rant deleted.

If you want to make a truly informed and smart choice, there are a few books out there that consider the issue beyond the comparative price of the items. Here's one which looks at the UK's grocery sector, but many of the issues will be similar in other countries. Shopped by Joanna Blythman

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Shopped-Shocking-Power-British-Supermarkets/dp/0007158041

 

[iLander]

Hi Kenny,

I thought I'd get in on this discussion, because I've worked with branded and generic companies for MAAAANNYY years. The premise "they are all the same" is true and false. I can only speak competently about OTC's. The law requires that active ingredients be the same and have the same efficacy but the inactive ingredients do NOT have to be exactly the same. So this doesn't make your cream any less effective, but the brand might have some extra skin-soothing agents that make you feel good, that aren't considered "active". The generic might not have that. And some inactive ingredients do important things, like keep liquids from separating, In that drug facts box on the back label, only the items listed under "active ingredients" has to be the same, everything else could legally be completely different.

Lately, I've noticed a trend among retailers to buy "store brand" drugs from overseas manufacturers. The beauty of buying them from US manufacturers is that the FDA would inspect their plants every year. The regulations are super strict, and even the pallets to move the bottles around the plants have to be of certain materials, to keep the medicines from being contaminated. With plants overseas, these inspections are very rare. Many are being made in India lately.

As far as cost, store brands are a huge profit center. That $6 cold medicine probably costs the retailer 90 cents. Meanwhile, the brand can cost the retailer $8, and retail at $9 (50% keystoning is a myth).

Do I think store brands are a huge savings? Yes. Would I buy them from Every retailer? Hells no. Contrary to popular belief, not all store brand programs are the same. Not at all. There are some programs that are purely price driven, like Walmart. I wouldn't buy their aspirin if you paid me. There are some stores that regularly spot test their store brands through independent labs, like Walgreens, their stuff is at least equivalent. Then there are other programs that the retailer strives to be "better than the brand", and that's Costco. Everyone in the industry knows about Costco, and provides them only the best.

The key to generics and store brand medicines is to go with a good retailer, and quality follows.

 

[kenny]

I worry that buying generics reduces the rewards for costly research (due to the short shelf-life of the medical patents), thereby limiting the development of new drugs. ???

Pharmaceutical companies make plenty of money while their patent and exclusivity periods.
Source: http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DevelopmentApprovalProcess/ucm079031.htm
SNIP: Patents expire 20 years from the date of filing. Many other factors can affect the duration of a patent.

They know this going in.
After 20 years every child of the Pharmaceutical corporation has one Porsche in every hue of the rainbow.

 

[kenny]

Just be sure and check the source on the generics and brand names.
I refuse to buy China drugs or food.
You also have to check the ingredients to make sure its not diluted with something else.
I have found honey from china being sold that was less than 25% honey.
The rest was corn syrup or rice syrup and other stuff.

+1

Smart people read lables, and think.
Certainly not all generics are always better.

 

[kenny]

Aspirin is one thing, more complex meds another. My cousin was a leading neurologist specializing in the most severe cases of epilepsy; he saw only patients whom other doctors had given up on. He said he found generics very inconsistent & unreliable -- he felt quality control wasn't quite as strict. One generic might make a patient jazzed up & twitchy & unable to be still, one from another compnay made the same person half-zombie. An extra atom on a molecule could make the effect of the drug completely different. So his experiences led him to use only brand-name meds on his patients.

For common stuff & foods, generics are worth trying. I'm more careful when it's something complicated & delicate.

--- Laurie

I always discuss this with my doctors.
So far every drug I use has a generic that works for me.

Consider also that kickbacks from Pharmaceutical company to doctor may influence what they prescribe.

 

[kenny]

Hi Kenny,

I thought I'd get in on this discussion, because I've worked with branded and generic companies for MAAAANNYY years. The premise "they are all the same" is true and false. I can only speak competently about OTC's. The law requires that active ingredients be the same and have the same efficacy but the inactive ingredients do NOT have to be exactly the same. So this doesn't make your cream any less effective, but the brand might have some extra skin-soothing agents that make you feel good, that aren't considered "active". The generic might not have that. And some inactive ingredients do important things, like keep liquids from separating, In that drug facts box on the back label, only the items listed under "active ingredients" has to be the same, everything else could legally be completely different.

Lately, I've noticed a trend among retailers to buy "store brand" drugs from overseas manufacturers. The beauty of buying them from US manufacturers is that the FDA would inspect their plants every year. The regulations are super strict, and even the pallets to move the bottles around the plants have to be of certain materials, to keep the medicines from being contaminated. With plants overseas, these inspections are very rare. Many are being made in India lately.

As far as cost, store brands are a huge profit center. That $6 cold medicine probably costs the retailer 90 cents. Meanwhile, the brand can cost the retailer $8, and retail at $9 (50% keystoning is a myth).

Do I think store brands are a huge savings? Yes. Would I buy them from Every retailer? Hells no. Contrary to popular belief, not all store brand programs are the same. Not at all. There are some programs that are purely price driven, like Walmart. I wouldn't buy their aspirin if you paid me. There are some stores that regularly spot test their store brands through independent labs, like Walgreens, their stuff is at least equivalent. Then there are other programs that the retailer strives to be "better than the brand", and that's Costco. Everyone in the industry knows about Costco, and provides them only the best.

The key to generics and store brand medicines is to go with a good retailer, and quality follows.

I generally just pick the generics especially from Costco, as you said.
I buy nearly zero branded stuff from supermarkets and never set foot into a drug store.
So far I have not noticed the quality of a generic being lower.

One brand name thing my SO buys is denture cream.
He says the generics do not hold as well so he'll only buy Poligrip or Fixodent.
Even then towards the end of the day he won't eat anything challenging so maybe the brands names are all the same.

I think there is LOTS of psychology involved in our buying decisions.
Ad campaigns are very powerful and persuasive.
Sometimes they manipulate us by appealing to base emotions like fear and pride.
The other day I was at the retail outlet for my cellphone company loading up my phone with prepaid minutes.
Next to the register was a product in a display case
At the top of the case was this, "THE LATEST IN COOL!"
Whatever.

 

[ruby59]

From experience, when it comes to medications you do need to be careful and evaluate on a case by case basis. The active ingredients might be the same, but not the fillers. And some of those fillers can aggravate another medical condition.

An example - I was on a brand name blood pressure medication. When the generic came out, of course, my insurance immediately switched too it. After a while I noticed elevated sugar level. Doctor could not find out why and eventually traced it to the generic blood pressure medication.

For my life drugs - blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, I prefer the name brands.

 

[pandabee]

As a pharmacist, I will generally recommend getting generic on both OTC and prescription medications. There are certain prescription medications (seizure medications as mentioned earlier, certain blood thinners, and hormone medications) that require a more specific and constant level which may vary from brand to generic or even between different generics. 90% of the time though, there is no difference save for the inactive ingredients which are not required to be equivalent (and really can't be the same as each company has their own proprietary recipe for each medication).

 

[Mayk]

As a person who's entire 30+ year career has been in consumer goods... I will say there's a difference and I've spent a lot of time cutting to compare including hanging out in the test and development labs. There are some items I will buy generic... Milk, eggs, cheese and others I wouldn't consider... Peanut Butter, toilet paper, laundry detergent, toothpaste just a few examples..

 

[makemepretty]

Sometimes the richer the person, the cheaper they are, it has nothing to do with quality.

When it comes to food, brand name TASTES better...period. Unbranded potato soup does not have the quality or amount of chunks of potatoes compared to Campbells, I've compared them. We have the grocery store Meijer in Michigan. Meijer brand products are not equivalent to brand names.

Essentially, some generics might be equivalent(medicines) but when it comes to taste or a preference in quality for a shampoo or dog food, generics and brand names are not comparable.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Just be sure and check the source on the generics and brand names.
I refuse to buy China drugs or food.
You also have to check the ingredients to make sure its not diluted with something else.
I have found honey from china being sold that was less than 25% honey.
The rest was corn syrup or rice syrup and other stuff.

Good advise!. A friend of mine whom spent half of his time in China and half of his time here in the US will only trust prescription drugs from the US, so every time when he returns to the US he'll be sure to refill his Viagra prescription...

 

[OreoRosies86]

I buy the generic versions of food sometimes, and despite my best efforts I just find them gross. I like my brand name foods.

OTC drugs I don't really care.

 

[ckrickett]

I try to buy generics as much as possible (especially Costco brand) HOWEVER I will never buy generic TP or feminine products AGAIN! Learned the hard way nope nope NOPE!

I am interested in how is you support name brand it can help out with research, and I try not to buy certain things from con tries I know are ripping me off (Example honey from China)

 

[azstonie]

Prescription drugs? I pay if necessary for brand name every time; before that, nothing from China or India. Lot of vitamins and supplements are from India but containerized here, so you read the label and are misled. TwinLab, for example. I called their 800 # and they will cheerfully tell you the o origin of anything with their label. Other brands, not a chance. I buy a ConsumerLabs membership every year to check their unbiased results on supplements---dose needed, efficacy in the first place, which brands passed their tests and which failed.

 

[Karl_K]

As a pharmacist, I will generally recommend getting generic on both OTC and prescription medications. There are certain prescription medications (seizure medications as mentioned earlier, certain blood thinners, and hormone medications) that require a more specific and constant level which may vary from brand to generic or even between different generics. 90% of the time though, there is no difference save for the inactive ingredients which are not required to be equivalent (and really can't be the same as each company has their own proprietary recipe for each medication).

warfarin is one I have found that different generics take different doses.
Since I have to have it checked anyway I don't worry too much about it.
The pharmacy tends to use the same supplier over a long period so it works out ok and keeps it stable for long periods. When I usually have to have an extra test and change the dose is if I change pharmacies.
A couple docs over the years did not want to do generics on it but I insisted because it was a matter of being able to take it at all due to costs.

 

[FrekeChild]

I won't do generic ice cream.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/25/walmart-ice-cream-sandwiches_n_5621240.html

Dairy fat = expensive, melts at low temperatures

Guar Gum and sugar = cheap and don't melt at low temperatures

The reason it doesn't appear to melt under warm temperatures? The air bubbles mechanically added to ice cream to create the mouth feel don't melt when they are made of sugar...

 

[Gypsy]

With things like aspirin, sure generics are okay. But that's not always the way with prescription drugs. I was on a birth control medicine and switched to the generic of the 'exact same thing'. Except it wasn't. It gave me vicious migraines. I stopped taking it and the migraines stopped. I went back to the name brand, and no migraines.

 

[Gypsy]

I won't do generic ice cream.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/25/walmart-ice-cream-sandwiches_n_5621240.html

Dairy fat = expensive, melts at low temperatures

Guar Gum and sugar = cheap and don't melt at low temperatures

The reason it doesn't appear to melt under warm temperatures? The air bubbles mechanically added to ice cream to create the mouth feel don't melt when they are made of sugar...

Oh I totally agree with this. Honestly there are very few brands of ice cream I'll eat.

 

[Gypsy]

Hi Kenny,

I thought I'd get in on this discussion, because I've worked with branded and generic companies for MAAAANNYY years. The premise "they are all the same" is true and false. I can only speak competently about OTC's. The law requires that active ingredients be the same and have the same efficacy but the inactive ingredients do NOT have to be exactly the same. So this doesn't make your cream any less effective, but the brand might have some extra skin-soothing agents that make you feel good, that aren't considered "active". The generic might not have that. And some inactive ingredients do important things, like keep liquids from separating, In that drug facts box on the back label, only the items listed under "active ingredients" has to be the same, everything else could legally be completely different.

Lately, I've noticed a trend among retailers to buy "store brand" drugs from overseas manufacturers. The beauty of buying them from US manufacturers is that the FDA would inspect their plants every year. The regulations are super strict, and even the pallets to move the bottles around the plants have to be of certain materials, to keep the medicines from being contaminated. With plants overseas, these inspections are very rare. Many are being made in India lately.

As far as cost, store brands are a huge profit center. That $6 cold medicine probably costs the retailer 90 cents. Meanwhile, the brand can cost the retailer $8, and retail at $9 (50% keystoning is a myth).

Do I think store brands are a huge savings? Yes. Would I buy them from Every retailer? Hells no. Contrary to popular belief, not all store brand programs are the same. Not at all. There are some programs that are purely price driven, like Walmart. I wouldn't buy their aspirin if you paid me. There are some stores that regularly spot test their store brands through independent labs, like Walgreens, their stuff is at least equivalent. Then there are other programs that the retailer strives to be "better than the brand", and that's Costco. Everyone in the industry knows about Costco, and provides them only the best.

The key to generics and store brand medicines is to go with a good retailer, and quality follows.

I agree with this too. I'll buy generics from Kirkland at Costco, if the drugs are not make in China. And sometimes from Target, again if they weren't made in China. But you have to be careful.

 

[missy]

Hi Kenny,

I thought I'd get in on this discussion, because I've worked with branded and generic companies for MAAAANNYY years. The premise "they are all the same" is true and false. I can only speak competently about OTC's. The law requires that active ingredients be the same and have the same efficacy but the inactive ingredients do NOT have to be exactly the same. So this doesn't make your cream any less effective, but the brand might have some extra skin-soothing agents that make you feel good, that aren't considered "active". The generic might not have that. And some inactive ingredients do important things, like keep liquids from separating, In that drug facts box on the back label, only the items listed under "active ingredients" has to be the same, everything else could legally be completely different.

Lately, I've noticed a trend among retailers to buy "store brand" drugs from overseas manufacturers. The beauty of buying them from US manufacturers is that the FDA would inspect their plants every year. The regulations are super strict, and even the pallets to move the bottles around the plants have to be of certain materials, to keep the medicines from being contaminated. With plants overseas, these inspections are very rare. Many are being made in India lately.

As far as cost, store brands are a huge profit center. That $6 cold medicine probably costs the retailer 90 cents. Meanwhile, the brand can cost the retailer $8, and retail at $9 (50% keystoning is a myth).

Do I think store brands are a huge savings? Yes. Would I buy them from Every retailer? Hells no. Contrary to popular belief, not all store brand programs are the same. Not at all. There are some programs that are purely price driven, like Walmart. I wouldn't buy their aspirin if you paid me. There are some stores that regularly spot test their store brands through independent labs, like Walgreens, their stuff is at least equivalent. Then there are other programs that the retailer strives to be "better than the brand", and that's Costco. Everyone in the industry knows about Costco, and provides them only the best.

The key to generics and store brand medicines is to go with a good retailer, and quality follows.

I agree with this too. I'll buy generics from Kirkland at Costco, if the drugs are not make in China. And sometimes from Target, again if they weren't made in China. But you have to be careful.

+2
I buy Kirkland generics most of the time. But there are brand names I actually prefer to the Kirkland brand. For example their fizzy ice water. Prefer the ICE brand to the Kirkland and it's worth the extra money to me. The blackberry flavor just tastes off in the Kirkland brand. But I always try the Kirkland brand to see if it is worth saving the money and for the most part it is.

As for prescription drugs my health insurance doesn't give me a choice. If there is a generic I am stuck with getting it unless I want to pay full price. And if there is no generic for a prescription drug I have a $50 (or did it go up to $75 I don't remember) copay. Ouch. But I am lucky in that I have health insurance (through my dh's job) because without it every prescription drug would be a huge expense.

 

[dk168]

Touch wood, I only have to buy the following as and when required, all generics except for Sudafed:

Paracetamol for general pain
Ibuprofen for muscular skeletal pain
Pholcodine Linctus for dry irritating cough (must have sugar in the formula as the sugar free versions taste foul)
Sudafed Decongestion Tablets 60mg for runny nose
Loperamide for diarrhoea
Hydrocortisone 1% cream for the odd patch of inflamed skin

DK

 

[packrat]

There are a couple things OTC we buy the generic b/c we actually think it works better. Food tho, I don't like to buy generic b/c of taste (and sometimes texture) as mentioned before. There will never be generic peanut butter here. Jif. Always.

Medicines from the office, we look back to past times and see what we've gotten. We've not had a problem w/generics for abx, but for JD's blood pressure pills, it's been a nightmare trying to find what works. He's been on it since 2009 and it's been changed..boy I couldn't even tell you how many times. And they won't just call the pharmacy and change it of course, so back to the office he goes, another copay to the bill. *That's* frustrating.

 

[msop04]

No one can really say with all certainty that brand is always better than generic/store brand food products or other consumer goods, because that's really just a personal opinion. There are certain foods that I will only buy brand (like ice cream) and others that I actually prefer the generic (Publix granola is 10X better than any name brand I've had)... but both are just my opinion, as tastes vary. I am funny about generic toilet paper, but will buy generic Q-tips all day long, and my husband is the opposite on those -- we end up getting brand TP and each have our own brand of cotton swabs.

OTC medications are not under the strict regulations required by the FDA, and can come from India, China, or anywhere else, so I can't speak for the "quality" of the overseas products. I always buy the generic OTC, unless it's TheraFlu packets -- I think the brand tastes better than the generic, so I'll spring for the taste when I'm not feeling well. Psychology and brand loyalty play a big part in this equation, which leads companies to introduce "brand extensions." For example, some people have always used Tylenol, so when it comes time to get some OTC's, it has to say "Tylenol" on the box. However, there are negatives to this... many don't understand that "Tylenol" is not the medicine, it's a brand... so they will blindly buy a box on the cough and cold aisle that says "Tylenol" on it and think that acetaminophen is one of the ingredients, which is not guaranteed. Then they want to argue with the pharmacist or technician that it does... you can see how that would go. As far as any homeopathics, herbals, or vitamins, those aren't regulated either, so you really never know what you're getting or if it will be equivalent to the product in the last bottle you had. Vitamins are a little better than homeopathics and herbals in this regard. I would agree that buying a known brand may help for greater consistency, but nothing is guaranteed.

Prescription medications are all regulated by the FDA. As another poster mentioned above, the active ingredients must be the exact same quality as the innovator drug (brand). Fillers, dosage form (tab vs capsule), etc may be different. Most always, a patient can switch over from the brand to the generic smoothly with no problems. There is a slight chance that the pt may be more sensitive to a filler or dye, but that is not as common as people think -- and it works both ways. We've had patients that couldn't tolerate a brand, but would do great on the generic, which is a individual sensitivity issue, not a "quality" or manufacturing issue.

That said, there are a few categories of medication that the brand and generic aren't equal. Psychoactive drugs are the most common where brand is better in a lot of case.

There are also some drugs in which neither is "better", BUT the pt should take only one all the time (either brand or generic), being careful not to switch back and forth. The blood thinner Coumadin (warfarin) and the thyroid medication Synthroid (levothyroxine) are the most common examples of this. I worked in a Coumadin clinic and we would stress to the pt that it doesn't matter which they start on (brand or generic), but that it is very important that they stay on it. If the pt started on a generic, that's fine, but it gets more complicated in that they must be careful to get the same manufacturer of the generic every time -- which is why most doctors will just start on brand for convenience/confusion issues. The reason is that it's difficult to get a person's INR ("clotting time" per se) regulated on the blood thinner, so switching back and forth between manufacturers can cause trouble (whether it's the innovator drug Coumadin or any of the various manufacturers of it's generic, warfarin). The exact same applies to Synthroid regarding thryroid regulation. To say the brand name is of superior quality and/or more effecacious than the generic is false... it's simply a matter of using the same one consistently and not switching back and forth...

As far as other Rx meds, many factors come into play, and every pt is different. Whether it be how your body responds or if it's simply psychological... get what works for you. (and please don't b!tch to the doctor or pharmacist if the one you prefer costs more)

If you're worried about not supporting research if you buy generic... DON'T. The innovator drug brands have made their money several million times over by the time a generic is introduced, so please don't buy into that. Patents on the vast majority of Rx drugs are set at 7 years, and it's not uncommon for the innovator companies to request several patent extensions by "changing" their product in most ridiculous ways that do not alter the drug in the least bit. So, if you've been on a "brand name available only" drug for more than 7 years, and there's still no generic, it's likely bc the innovators are extremely greedy, simple as that. Also, in the last ten years or so, I have noticed that a lot of innovator companies are introducing the generic of THEIR OWN DRUGS. A lot times the product looks identical and comes from the same factory with the same markings and everything. There is NO DIFFERENCE WHATSOEVER, other than insurance will pay for one and not the other, depending on the bottle they happen to fall into during packaging. They do this so they won't totally lose the market to the other generic manufacturers via insurance mandates, and now they can make money on both ends...

 

[msop04]

please ignore any spelling/grammatical errors -- it's just too dang long to edit a lot!

Edited for error. Go figure... Geez! LOL

 

[SparklyOEC]

Aspirin is one thing, more complex meds another. My cousin was a leading neurologist specializing in the most severe cases of epilepsy; he saw only patients whom other doctors had given up on. He said he found generics very inconsistent & unreliable -- he felt quality control wasn't quite as strict. One generic might make a patient jazzed up & twitchy & unable to be still, one from another compnay made the same person half-zombie. An extra atom on a molecule could make the effect of the drug completely different. So his experiences led him to use only brand-name meds on his patients.

For common stuff & foods, generics are worth trying. I'm more careful when it's something complicated & delicate.

--- Laurie

From personal experience, I know this to be true. My son has had epilepsy since he was 6, and medicine resistant until his neurologist wrote prescriptions for brand name only way back then. He's 18 now, and we finally found a generic that works, but we have to special-order it every month. And the pharmacy doesn't make that easy!

Most other things that are not as *important* to me, I will definitely buy a generic.