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BRANDED DRUGS

Branded drugs are manufactured by a company that holds exclusive rights granted by a patent to produce that drug- there are no direct competitors to this drug for the useful life of patent.

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GENERIC DRUGS

​These can be producers by several companies since these are manufactured after the exclusive patent rights granted to the original manufacturer have expired.

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OTC (Over-the-counter)

OTC medicine refers to a medical drug or device that can be purchased by a consumer from a pharmacy without a doctor’s prescription. Since OTC drugs are safe for the vast majority of people, and are used to treat minor ailments, it would not make commercial or medical sense to restrict their availability and hence, they are sold over the counter and they generally don’t require any prescription .

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VACCINES

Vaccination is the injection of a killed microbe in order to stimulate the immune system against the microbe, thereby preventing disease. Vaccinations, or immunizations, work by stimulating the immune system, the natural disease-fighting system of the body.

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​SPECIALTY DRUGS

​These are designed to treat costly medical issues incurred by a small portion of the population. This segment has a branded and generic component based on whether the patent granting exclusivity has expired.

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TOPICALS

Topical medications are ointments, creams, and solutions that are applied to your skin. Topical medications used for psoriasis include anthralin, coal tar, corticosteroids, retinoids, and vitamin D.

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BIOSIMILARS

Biosimilar is a biologic medical product (also known as biologic) highly similar to another already approved biological medicine (the 'reference medicine'). Biosimilars are approved according to the same standards of pharmaceutical quality, safety and efficacy that apply to all biological medicines. Biosimilars are officially approved versions of original "innovator" products and can be manufactured when the original product's patent expires. Reference to the innovator product is an integral component of the approval.

Unlike with generic drugs of the more common small-molecule type, biologics generally exhibit high molecular complexity and may be quite sensitive to changes in manufacturing processes. Despite that heterogeneity, all biopharmaceuticals, including biosimilars, must maintain consistent quality and clinical performance throughout their lifecycle. A biosimilar is not regarded as a generic of a biological medicine. This is mostly because the natural variability and more complex manufacturing of biological medicines do not allow an exact replication of the molecular micro-heterogeneity.

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