The answer is yes.

I’ve mentioned previously that there should be little reason to prescribe brand name cardiovascular medications. One of the few exceptions is if there are no generics in a given class of drugs. Angiotensin receptor blockers would be an example.

A systemic review showed that there were few differences in clinical outcomes when generic and brand name medications were compared.

It is interesting to note that in the individual studies, the authors gave a negative conclusion, perhaps illustrating how they were influenced by pharmaceutical funding.

Generics work. Giving a positive first impression is important, as internist Matthew Mintz comments that “if a patient doesn’t think a medications is going to work, there is at least a 30% chance that it won’t.”