Pharmacokinetics: Branded Drug vs Generic Drug

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Pharmacokinetics, sometimes described as what the body does to a drug, refers to the movement of the drug into, through, and out of the body—the time course of its absorption, bioavailability, distribution, metabolism, and excretion.

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In our subject, Pharmacology 1, we were asked to perform a laboratory activity where we prepared 3 drugs with the same active ingredient Ibuprofen: 2 branded and 1 generic. The drugs were put in separate beakers with HCL Solution and submerged in a basin with a water temperature of 37-37.5 celsius. This would mimic how the drug disintegrates in the stomach and what the body does to the drug.

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We added 10mL of muriatic acid to a 100mL Beaker before adding the medications. It should be noted that each medication needs to be blended separately in three beakers with the same volume of muriatic acid.

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We added the drugs to the beaker and then set the timer to determine their rate of distribution.

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We monitored the water's temperature in the basin using a thermometer and keep it between 37 and 37.5 degrees Celsius. To maintain the desired temperature, we continuously add water.

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The samples were then observed for an hour to determine their rate of distribution.

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The branded drug Medicol Advance was the first to start dissolving within the first few minutes of observation. As the substance inside the gel capsule began to leak out, the gel capsule slowly disintegrated and the solution in the beaker turned red. The gel capsule of the other branded medicine, Advil gel capsule, began to dissolve after 6-20 minutes. The medicine inside the gel capsule leaks out and the outer layer becomes white to yellow as it dissolves. Regarding the generic brand, during the monitoring period, it exhibited no indicators of distribution.

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After 60 minutes of observation, the Medicol advance and Advil gel capsules had totally disintegrated, but the generic brand had retained its shape.

The purpose of the activity was to observe how the body reacted to the medicine in a laboratory setting. According to the findings, branded medications, notably those in gel capsule form, disintegrate more quickly than generic brands that are in tablet form. Hence, branded and generic drugs with the same active ingredients are proven to have a similar drug action. They just vary in their rate of distribution.

The medication is suspended on easily digestible gelatin as soft-gel capsules or liquid gels, which tend to break down more quickly than tablets and provide the patient with rapid relief. Additionally, because of its enhanced bioavailability, a greater amount of the medication is likely to reach the bloodstream. Another benefit of liquid gels is that, unlike pills, they cannot be easily broken in half, making it more likely that they will be consumed as prescribed.

More than 90% of the dose of ibuprofen is biotransformed and metabolized in the liver before even being excreted in the urine. The distribution's apparent volume is 0.1 L/kg. Age or the presence of renal impairment has no effect on the elimination. Ibuprofen has a serum half-life of 1.2-2 hours, however, it can last longer in patients with damaged livers—up to 3.1–3.4 hours. Ibuprofen is an effective painkiller and fever reducer for humans, however, it should never be administered to animals due to the possibility of toxicity. It prevents the production of prostaglandins, which are beneficial and protect the kidneys and gastrointestinal tract. It also inhibits two enzymes that cause inflammation. The second one generates a lot of mediators and prostaglandins that promote inflammation.

Note: In order to educate consumers regarding branded and generic brands, I chose to publish this activity on this platform. to inform people that a drug's effectiveness is not dependent on whether it is branded or generic. The difference between the effects of branded and generic drugs is simply in how quickly they are distributed throughout the body.



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Whoah they teach you guys basic disintegration tests. In an actual lab, we have 3 different pH setups for this since we need to identify dissociation in the throat (fairly neutral pH), in the stomach (acidic pH), and in the intestines (alkaline pH)

Studies on this are actually so hellish tho :")

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Thank you so much for this info @themedwhowrites. Generic and branded indeed have the same content. They only difference is the time that it will dissolve and be distributed in the body. The more mas madali madisolve the more mas madali ang effect. Tama ba yung pagkakaintindi ko? at mas madali matunaw yung gel like or capsule than tablet? if tama ang pagkakaintindi ko, i really learn something today.

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