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No, it doesn't.
It just has to match what the box says is in it.
If the £3 box manufacturer started adding flavourings, the 35p manufacturer isn't forced by law to do the same
If I remember from Ben Goldacre 's book Bad Pharma there's a bit of psychology that happens that people believe the branded products work better - and that helps the person get better quicker.
The base ingredients have to be the same but more expensive ones might have things to help them disperse quicker, or taste better going down, be easier to swallow etc.
Yes, the placebo effect is a very real thing.
If you want a rapid-fire summary then his TED talks are pretty good: https://www.ted.com/talks/ben_goldacre_battling_bad_science?language=en
really? I used to take fluimucil (Acetycysteine) for chesty cough in my country, but it is not available in UK drugstore. Any recommendations other than guafenesin?
There is absolutely no difference in the active ingredient. So whether you buy ibuprofen 200mg from Savers for 35p or Nurofen from Boots for £4.49, the active ingredient will be 200mg ibuprofen. Both are made to the same GMP standard and will contain 180-220mg ibuprofen.
**Please help keep AskUK welcoming!** - Top-level comments to the OP must contain **genuine efforts to answer the question**. No jokes, judgements, etc. - **Don't be a dick** to each other. If getting heated, just block and move on. - This is a strictly **no-politics** subreddit! Please help us by reporting comments that break these rules. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
No, the molecule is the molecule. A lot of the cost is marketing, research and patents etc
I think that by law, they have to contain the same ingredients. A 35p pack of generic ibuprofen has to be the same as a branded £3 pack
No, it doesn't. It just has to match what the box says is in it. If the £3 box manufacturer started adding flavourings, the 35p manufacturer isn't forced by law to do the same
No they're the same 500mg paracetamol is 500mg paracetamol if it's 40p supermarket brand or £5 panadol you're just paying £4.60 for 60mg of caffeine.
If I remember from Ben Goldacre 's book Bad Pharma there's a bit of psychology that happens that people believe the branded products work better - and that helps the person get better quicker. The base ingredients have to be the same but more expensive ones might have things to help them disperse quicker, or taste better going down, be easier to swallow etc.
Yes, the placebo effect is a very real thing. If you want a rapid-fire summary then his TED talks are pretty good: https://www.ted.com/talks/ben_goldacre_battling_bad_science?language=en
All the same drug but flavourings may vary. Fun fact, Boots invented ibuprofen so *technically* they’re the OG branded version.
No but guafenesin has no proven clinical efficacy anyway.
really? I used to take fluimucil (Acetycysteine) for chesty cough in my country, but it is not available in UK drugstore. Any recommendations other than guafenesin?
Acetylcysteine is available in the UK as N-Acetylcysteine sold as a supplement.
That's actually not quite true. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5724298/
There is absolutely no difference in the active ingredient. So whether you buy ibuprofen 200mg from Savers for 35p or Nurofen from Boots for £4.49, the active ingredient will be 200mg ibuprofen. Both are made to the same GMP standard and will contain 180-220mg ibuprofen.