Thinking About Health: Generic drugs not always equivalent, sometimes dangerous

As insurance companies push doctors to save money by switching their patients to generic drugs, complaints about those generics appear to be on the upswing.

That’s the observation of journalist Katherine Eban, who has written a book, “Bottle of Lies,” that tells a very dark tale about the generic drug industry and the safety of generic drugs Americans are increasingly taking.

“My inbox is full of communications from patients who were on a drug that worked but were switched to a generic that didn’t work,” she told me. “Patients find themselves on a medical odyssey.”

She illustrated her point wi...