If you have ever been to pharmacies or bought drugs online you’ve probably ran across the type of drugs called generics. These drugs are usually much more affordable than their branded variations and are stated to provide the same effects. There are people who only use generic drugs because they are much cheaper, yet there are also people who revert only to branded variations as being of a higher quality and much safer. Virtually any medication brand in the world has several generic variations produced by different pharmaceutical factories all over the globe. And erectile dysfunction medications aren’t any different. So let’s take a closer look at the conflict between generic and brand drugs and try to understand what’s really better.

When a new drug is being developed the pharmaceutical company spends millions and even billions of dollars on research, testing, manufacturing and marketing. Since it’s a totally new product the company gains a patent, which allows it to produce and sell the drug exclusively for a limited period of time in a given region of the world. However, when the term of the patent expires the company is obliged to share the recipe of the new drug with the rest of the world, allowing numerous smaller companies to produce the product too. Because the initial developer spends large amounts of money on the development it sets a higher price on the new product. However, the smaller companies that ultimately start producing the shared recipe don’t have such large costs because they don’t need to develop the drug from scratch, they just use the formula. That’s why the smaller companies can set much lower prices on their variations of the new drug, since they do not need to reimburse their initial investments like the large developer does. That’s why generic drugs are much cheaper than brand variations.

Now, when it comes to the safety and the real difference between brand and generic drugs it all depends on the manufacturers involved. On paper, all generic variations are produced using the same chemicals as the brand drug. Assuming that both big and small companies often receive raw chemicals from the same sources you can rest assured that there won’t be much of a difference, except for the pill shape, the package and the name on it. However, sometimes smaller companies tend to cut their costs through weaker quality control. This may lead to production errors and reflect in the final quality of the drug. Although it’s not a general rule for all generic drug manufacturers yet these situations still take place so you have to be aware of them.

So which Viagra should you order when buying it online, generic or brand? The answer depends on your needs. If you have the money and want to get the famous blue pill then don’t hesitate to pay more for a brand drug. After all even the psychological expectation of taking an expensive drug can really boost up its effectiveness. Yet, if you don’t have much money on your hands and don’t care about the name on the package generic Viagra can prove to be a great option for you. Just remember to consult with your doctor about the correct use of Viagra regardless whether you’re buying brand or generic variations.