Generic PrimaCare

Generic PrimaCare: An Overview

PrimaCare^® and PrimaCare One are prescription prenatal vitamins. Prenatal vitamins are specifically designed for pregnant women.

 

PrimaCare is manufactured by Ther-Rx Corporation. There are no generic versions of PrimaCare products available.

 

The Problem With Generic Prenatal Vitamins

Generic prenatal vitamins present an interesting technical problem. Prenatal vitamins do not require U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval and are not given "equivalence ratings" by the FDA. Equivalence ratings are used by pharmacists to determine which generic products are considered equivalent to brand-name products. In many states, a pharmacist may not dispense a generic medicine in place of a brand-name medication unless the FDA has rated the products to be equivalent. Because prenatal vitamins do not have equivalence ratings, technically, no generic prenatal vitamin is equivalent to any brand-name prenatal vitamin (including PrimaCare).

 

However, depending on state laws and how your healthcare provider writes your prescription, your pharmacist may substitute a generic prenatal vitamin that has the exact same ingredients in the same amounts as the brand-name product. At this time, there are no other prenatal vitamins that contain the exact same ingredients in the same amounts as PrimaCare or PrimaCare One prenatal vitamins.

 

What If My Pharmacy Doesn't Have PrimaCare?

There are many, many different prenatal vitamins available, and a pharmacy cannot possibly stock every single brand. Your pharmacy may not carry PrimaCare prenatal vitamins. If this is the case, you have a few different options. You can take your prescription or have it transferred to a different pharmacy that carries PrimaCare. You can also have your healthcare provider give you a prescription for a different prenatal vitamin. Or you can ask your pharmacy to stock PrimaCare for you.