Generic vs. Brand Name Drugs

If you ask people whether they prefer generic or brand name drugs, the outcome is that they prefer generic drugs by a sizable margin. The reason for this preference is not that people think generic drugs are better than brand name drugs, but that they think they are basically the same while costing less. This is pretty much correct in that generic small molecular weight drugs are essentially of the same quality as brand name drugs and sell at a lower price, often less than half the price of brand name drugs. However, what is not the same and what is not well known, is that your chances to win a lawsuit in the case of bodily harm from an improperly labeled generic drug are slim to zero versus very good for a brand name drug. The reasons for this are related to how labeling of a drug is handled differently for generic and brand name drugs and a 2011 decision by the Supreme Court.

A news account about the impact of the discrepancy in labeling requirements for generic and brand name drugs made me wonder why neither brand name drug companies, nor congressional representatives, nor the executive branch jumped at the opportunity to do something for the common good. Or will it happen only now that the "lame mainstream media" have brought this issue to our collective attention, similar to how a "60 Minutes" piece about insider stock trading by members of Congress finally forced Congress to change the law and make our representatives look and act a tiny bit more like the people who elected them to office?