N Y Times Business Section: Can Johnson & Johnson Get Its Act Together?

As a young doctor 50 years ago, I was convinced that brand name medicines were significantly more reliable and safer than their generic equivalents. As the years went by, I realized that generic drugs provided the same medical benefits at a significantly lower price. However, I still believed that brand name drugs assured higher production standards and quality. The N Y Times article clearly indicated that is not always true. Prescribing "off brand" medicines certainly saves the patient money. But a better solution is suggesting no medicine when none are necessary. All medicines have side effects.