There are generic drugs made or prescribed for cats and dogs in my part of the world (USA).
In fact, out of all the meds my pets have been prescribed over the years, most of them have been generic. The majority of the time, it’s actually the same medications given to humans (ex: insulin, antibiotics, heart meds, anxiety meds) and some of them I even purchased through a standard pharmacy like Walgreens.
From my experience, the main medications that don’t tend to have generics are drugs that are meant for veterinary purpose only. Flea and tick meds are an example. For those, the situation isn’t all that much different from human medications. They usually start off getting patented, which gives them the exclusive right to make and sell the active ingredient for some period of time. Eventually, though, that protection expires, and then if it’s profitable enough, other manufacturers can make a generic version.
With flea and tick meds specifically, there’s been a steady slate of newer / improved products over the years. I remember a time when a product called Frontline was introduced. It was almost revolutionary, just a small bit of product between the shoulder blades kept the fleas away for a month. Then there was a pill that kills fleas in less than 24 hours. Then they made pill/treats with longer lasting products. Then they combined flea and tick with heartworm meds. Now there’s an injection that lasts months (or maybe it’s a whole year, I can’t recall). Each of these is a new product, so it gets patented and then there’s only a name brand version for whatever the exclusivity period is.
Maybe it’s similar in your country?
N0t_5ure@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
They do. However, the drugs your pet needs may not be off patent, and thus you have to buy branded.