More on generics
A follow-up to the debate on drug substitution and patient safety.
A direct continuation of the previous text, "More on generics" answers the reactions to the first. The 2004 public debate set the argument of price, decisive for families in neighbourhoods like Campo Limpo, against the argument of safety and equivalence between products.
Pedro did not write against generics, which made essential treatments cheaper. He wrote against substitution done without criteria and without the knowledge of the doctor following the patient, especially for continuous-use drugs with a narrow therapeutic margin.
It is a text of its time. The rules have changed since, and similars now require the same tests as generics. What the memorial preserves is the underlying concern with the safety of whoever takes the medicine.
This article is part of the historical archive of Pedro Moretti Guedes. It should be read as a document of its time: Medicine, pharmacology and health recommendations have changed since publication.
The original clipping is preserved by the family and will be published here once the scan can be checked against the original.