Analysis from Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs (a public education project of Consumers Union) reported that a widely available nonprescription drug - Prilosec OTC – is as effective a treatment for heartburn and acid reflux disease as its prescription counterparts which cost almost 10 times more.
According to Gail Shearer, director of the Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs project:
"Many people with heartburn and acid reflux could save $1,000 to $2,000 a year by taking an over-the-counter drug that's just as effective as high-priced prescription drugs.
These are dramatic savings, and illustrate why consumers should talk to their doctors about identifying effective, lower-cost medicines.”
The Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs report is one of 16 in a series that intends to help consumers find effective and safe medicines that can give them the most value for their health-care money.
Read the full press release.
As a chemist, I am only concerned that the active ingredient in generic OTC drugs isn’t as “active and potent” as their branded prescription counterparts. However, if has been proven from studies that these OTC drugs are as effective as the prescription ones, then yes I’d go for the cheaper OTC, BUT with my doctor’s go-signal.
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