Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 6 December 2002 — Page 32

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THE INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6,2002

An Rx for lowering your prescription bill

(NAPSI) — A growing number

of Americans are discovering a good way to lower their prescription bills is to ask their doctors, “Is there a lower cost generic avail-

able for my prescription?” For nearly 20 years, generic

medicines have helped individuals, families and seniors get the medicine they need at a price they

can afford.

Today, nearly one out of every two inscriptions is filled with a generic drug. Generics offer the same quality, the same effectiveness and the same results, but at a price that can be from 30 to 70 percent less expensive. The average price of a prescription dispensed with a generic drug in 2001 was $16.85. The average price of a prescription dispensed with a brand name drug in 2001 was $72. That’s a savings of 326 percent for the generic. That’s a savings that every American can use. Are generics the same? Yes. All generic products must be approved

Administration; the same agency that approves the brand version of your prescription medicines. Generics must have the same active ingredients, must meet the same gold standard for quality, and must also meet the same stringent government standards for strength, purity and potency as the brand name version. Occasionally generics may be a slightly different size, shape or color than their brand counterpart, but these cosmetic differences have no impact on the safety or effectiveness of the generic drug. Will a generic work for you? The FDA says “yes.” In fact, the FDA has stated that, “Practitioners and the public may be assured that if the FDA declares a generic drug to be therapeutically equivalent to an innovator drug, the two products will provide the same intended clinical effect. The physician, pharmacist and patient have the FDA’s assurance that the physician should see the same clinical results and

safety profile.

there a lower cost generic available for my prescription? Today, there are generic versions available for over half of all brand prescription drugs. And more generic products become available

every day.

How can you take advantage of the savings offered by generics? The next time you have a prescription filled, ask your pharmacist if a generic version is available. The next time your doctor writes a prescription, ask them if a lower cost generic is available to treat your condition. Doctors and pharmacists are consumers too, and they understand how expensive prescription medicines can be. They can help you select the right prescription for your condition, and your budget. For more information about generic pharmaceuticals, visit the FDA’s Special Report for Consumers on Generic Drugs at: www .fda.gov I cder I about!

by the United States Food and Drug Some people might ask, “Is whatwedo!testtube-17.p(tf

Blacks almost five times more

likely to distrust doctors

Electronic Urban Report African Americans are nearly five times more likely than white Americans to say they distrust their doctor, according to the results of a national telephone survey. Regardless of social class, more Blacks than whites believed that their doctor would ask them to participate in a study that would cause harm and would use them as “guinea pigs” without their consent. Black patients were also more likely to agree that their doctor would expose them to unnecessary risks when deciding which treatment to use, and to say that a doctor had given them treatment as part of an experiment without their permission. It is not clear why African Americans are more apt to dis-

trust doctors, but it may stem in medical research that might part from the infamous study at harm them, compared with less Tuskegee, Ala, in which U.S. than 20 percent of whites. And researchers allowed African- more than 79 percent of Blacks American men to suffer with agreed that they, or people like syphilis despite the availability them, might be used as guinea of an effective treatment. pigs without their consent, Regardless, the findings may compared with 52 percent of lend support to researchers who whites, say they have a hard time re- When it came to providing cruiting African Americans into treatment, nearly 46 percent of clinical studies, researchers Blacks said their doctor somepoint out in last week’s issue of times exposed them to unnecthe Archives of Internal Medi- essary risks, compared with cine. about 35 percent of whites. They suggest that research- About 25 percent of Blacks said ers who are interested in work- their doctor had given them a ing with African Americans re- treatment as part of an experimain involved in the commu- ment without obtaining connity on an ongoing basis, rather sent, compared with 8 percent than only when recruiting pa- of whites. And 42 percent of tients for studies. Blacks did not trust that their About 37 percent of Blacks doctor would fully explain resaid they thought their doctor search participation, compared would ask them to take part in with 23 percent of whites.

to load national organization

Preventing eye emergencies

(NAPSA) — Be on a sharp lookout to avoid blinding eye injuries. The eye is one of the most delicate and exposed areas of the human body. Eye injury is the second most common cause of visual impairment, second only to glaucoma. Blunt objects, surprisingly, are the major cause of eye injury (37 percent) and over half (55 percent) of eye injury victims are people under the age of 25. “Emergency departments in the United States provide a large amount of eye care because all eye injuries are potentially serious,” said David Wilcox, M.D., of the American College of Emergency Physicians. “Even superficial abrasions on the eye’s surface - the cornea - can lead to scarring or infection, with possible impairment of vision.” If an eye injury occurs, seek immediate medical care. To help decrease your risk of eye injury or wounds, ACEP pro-

vides the following tips: Signs and symptoms of eye iqjmy and wounds: • A visible wound. • Abloodshot eye appearance, even if a wound is not visible. i • Partial or total loss of vision. • Leakage of blood or clear fluid from the injured eye. Precautions to take: • Do not touch the eye or allow the victim to rub it. • Do not try to remove a contact lens or embedded object in the eye. • Do not apply any pressure to an eye with a foreign object embedded or a laceration. • If it will take some time to obtain medical aid, gently bandage an eye with an eye shield or tape a paper cup in place over the injured eye. • If a chemical enters the eye, irrigate it immediately before rushing Vo the emergency department. Flush the eye with fresh water for 15 minutes and put nothing else in the injured eye. If possible, take the bottled

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chemical with you to the hospi-

tal. .

Action steps: • Lay the victim on her back;* 1 holding her head on your knees to keep it as still as possible. > .v • Give the victim a paper cup * to hold over her injured eye an4 ask her to keep her uninjured ,, eye closed. ^ • Send the victim to the hospital. If you cannot take the vie- ’ tim to the hospital, call the emer- 1 gency medical services number or 9-1-1. “Parents, coaches and rolei. models should set good ex-s amples for children by wear-,; ing protective eyewear when,, using power tools, playing,,; sports or working in an area j with flying debris,” said Dr,’' Wilcox. “They also should en- , '‘ force the use of protective eyewear in children.” 7 •

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For more information of^ emergency first aid, you can or*,* der ACEP’s First Aid Manuals from wwwACEP.org.

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