Proving the Authentication of a Generic Drug

Dear Doctor;

I understand there is a pharmaceutical company by the name of Dr. Reddy’s, based in India. I did some research, and though it is not one of the heavy-hitters like GSK, or Pfizer, they are publically traded. I examined the website and saw that they sell generic Dutasteride, named “Dutas”. My question is this: Has GSK released a generic form of Avodart? Is Dr. Reddy’s allowed to sell a generic form of Dutasteride? How would I know that this “Dutas” is actually Dutasteride? Avodaty soft-gels are printed with the characters
“GX CE2”. Is there an identifier on generic Dutasteride that would prove its authentication? Thanks so much!

Drug substitution is a buyer beware market. Generally, if a generic is sold in the United States and obtained from a reputable pharmacy, it must be from a good source, scrutinized by the FDA and meeting FDA requirements. If you buy the manufacturer’s brand and there is no ‘fake’ drug substituted (when it is done it is usually done in the supply chain through illegal means), then you are getting the real drug.

I understand that Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories is the 2nd largest pharmaceutical company in India, which would make it quite a well known company. I am not privy to know the dealings between Dr. Reddy’s and the original manufacturers of the drugs you listed. I know little more than you do when it comes to this, but fake drugs or drug piracy is a real problem in today’s market. Even some of the brand named drugs could be subject to substitution. For further reading about Dr. Reddy’s, here’s a list of facts I found on their site — Fact Book.

With all this being said, I do think that you must do the research on your own to truly make yourself comfortable.