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Re: Apo-fluvoxamine vs. Effexor XR

Posted by jannbeau on July 23, 2002, at 11:14:06

In reply to Re: Apo-fluvoxamine vs. Effexor XR, posted by sly on July 23, 2002, at 7:28:41

> Sorry, Guys, but there is a lot of incorrect information in the post below!

Fluvoxamine is the generic name for LUVOX, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). Although the manufacturer says fluvoxamine is "chemically unrelated" to other SSRI's, fluvoxamine apparently is thought to have effects similar to those of other SSRI's--Prozac, for instance. Effexor (trade name for venlafaxine, on the other hand, is not an SSRI, but also inhibits reuptake of norepinephrine. These may be technical differences, but, still, if one is going to proffer information, one may as well get it right.

Which leads to the second set of inaccurate information: "Aspirin" is not acetaminophen, but acetylsalicylic acid. Acetylsalicylic acid, or ASA, is the chemical name for aspirin, a generic name coined by Felix Hoffman in 1897. ASA is a derivative of salicin, a compound extracted from the bark of the willow tree as early as the 5th century BC. Although Bayer patented "aspirin" or ASA, that patent has long since expired. Generic aspirin has been available for many, many years. By the way, patents in the US usually run for seventeen years, but may be extended under certain circumstances.

Acetaminophen, on the other hand, is 4 -hydroxyacetanilide, is a nonopiate, non-salicylate
analgesic and antipyretic, the generic name for Tylenol. Acetaminophen is NOT the same drug as aspirin, having different properties, including a much reduced if not absent antiinflammatory effect. Many companies now market acetaminophen, too, just as they do aspirin.

In the US, the generic drug act states that any drug marketed as a generic must have the same efficacy as those of the original patented drug. By the way, "fillers" are considered to be "inert" and to have no effects and, therefore, cannot have "side effects." The term "side effects" is generally used to refer to nontherapeutic effects of the active ingredient or ingredients in a formulation.

Cheers,
Jannbeau

Are you Canadian?
>
> Effexor XR is the trade name. APO refers to the Canadian drug company "Apotex" which makes generic versions of the original. Drug companies like Wyeth-Ayerst which first invent a drug get to patent it for 7 years to recoup the R & D costs, after that, it's open to the market and everyone starts spinning out generic versions (much like you call all pain relievers "aspirin", but only Bayer makes Aspirin, all other generic versions are just acetaminophen). This is a good thing, it means the drug should become cheaper. The only difference is usually the fillers, sometimes these can cause slight variations in side effects, but overall should have the same effects as the original drug.


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URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020718/msgs/113410.html