Digestive problems in recent years have become the most common reason people visit a pharmacy. Pharmaceutical companies earn on the desire of many to eat and not to suffer with a stomach. The most common drug in the world today to eliminate such problems is Mezim. It is produced by a well-known German company and is actively advertised, so it goes on sale at a rather high price. But most patients do not suspect that there are analogues of Mezima, cheaper and affordable for most consumers. Some drugs have exactly the same effect, but at a price that is 2 or 3 times cheaper. Why is this happening?
Causes of drug price differences
- Different number of tablets per pack. According to this criterion, the price may differ even for one drug in another packaging. Therefore, you need to compare prices for the same number of tablets.
- Different content of active active substance in one tablet. The speed of action and the effectiveness of the drug depend on this.
- The presence of other ingredients besides the main active ingredient. They can enhance the effect of the drug, remove side effects or facilitate the absorption of the drug. Because of this, the price may be higher.
- The same effect can be with drugs, which include similar, but different active substances.
- In the pharmaceutical industry, there is such a thing as “generics”. These are medicines made legally by another company after the patent that has expired from the company that created it.
- It often happens that completely similar drugs with the same effect are sold with a huge difference in price. This is due to the fact that some medicine is actively advertised - that’s more expensive. That is why many analogues of Mezim are much cheaper than it.
Why is this drug so popular?
Mezim tablets are based on pancreatin from pig pancreatic enzymes. It improves digestion and compensates for the deficiency of one's own enzymes in humans. The special enteric-soluble coating of the tablets protects the enzymes from destruction by the gastric juice and, once in the intestines, helps the breakdown of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Therefore, in addition to patients with enzyme deficiency of the pancreas, Mezim is taken by many people before a feast, after overeating or eating stale food. This is due to a competent advertising campaign. But not all food lovers know that there are analogues of Mezima that have the same effect and are also based on pancreatin. Most often they are manufactured by lesser-known pharmaceutical companies and are not advertised.
What are the analogues of Mezima
There are a lot of drugs based on pancreatin. They differ in the amount of the amylase enzyme - the most active active ingredient, in the presence of other ingredients and in the form of the tablets themselves. It depends on how the analogues differ from the Mezim preparation. Their price is often less than 10 times. Here are such drugs, similar in effect to Mezim, can be found on the shelves of pharmacies:
- "Biofestal";
- "Normoenzyme";
- "Forestal";
- Enzystal;
- "Festal";
- "Biozyme";
- Pancreasim
- Enzibene
- "Panzinorm";
- Creon
- Penzital;
- Pankrenorm;
- Vestal;
- Hermitage.
These are all drugs of various pharmaceutical companies, and their prices range from 50 to 250 rubles, which is still cheaper than Mezim, whose price, on average in Russia, is about 270 rubles per package.
The main active ingredient of these drugs
All these drugs have a similar effect - they improve the absorption of food, because they contain pancreatin. This substance is extracted from the pancreas of pigs and contains enzymes important for digestion: protease, lipase, trypsin and amylase. It is used for chronic pancreatitis, digestive disorders, overeating, nutritional errors and a sedentary lifestyle. The Russian pharmaceutical company "Lekhim" produces a drug with the same name - "Pancreatin". This is the cheapest analogue of Mezima, because it does not have its own brand and is called by the international non-proprietary name of the active substance.
What is the difference between drugs
Doctors are debating which drug is more effective: Mezim or Pancreatin. According to patients, it can be concluded that they have exactly the same effect. Those who are used to buying Mezim to correct food inaccuracies should not overpay. You can buy "Pancreatin" for only 30 rubles. It contains a slightly smaller amount of enzymes, so Mezim is used for more serious diseases. All other pancreatin-based drugs differ from each other according to three criteria:
- They contain different amounts of amylase - the most active enzyme. Most of it is in "Creon", "Mikrazin" and "Panzinorm", and least of all contains "Mezim-Forte".
- Some drugs have additional substances in their composition. For example, Festal and Enzistal contain gamiculose and bile.
- They also differ in form. Most drugs are standard enteric-coated tablets, but Panzinorm, Creon, and Hermitage are gelatin capsules.
The action of Mezim and its analogues
Such enzyme preparations are used for chronic pancreatitis, cystic fibrosis, chronic diseases of the stomach and liver, after surgery and in preparation for the examination of the digestive system. You can drink it and healthy people with a violation of digestion, with errors in nutrition, for example, with a large consumption of fats, overeating, a sedentary lifestyle or a violation of chewing function. But, like any medicine, you should not prescribe any drug for yourself, focusing only on advertising or price. It is best to consult a doctor, because all these drugs, although they have a similar effect, can have different side effects and have their contraindications.
How to take such drugs
The enzymes that make up these drugs begin to act only when they enter the small intestine. Therefore, all tablets are enteric coated. You need to take them during or after a meal. Drink only with water or fruit juice. It is unacceptable to drink alkaline drinks, for example, mineral water at this time. The effect of drugs occurs 30-40 minutes after administration. All enzyme preparations are considered safe, but you cannot prescribe them yourself. The dose and type of medication can only be selected by a doctor. For example, "Festal" and other preparations containing bile are contraindicated in those who have impaired function
liver and gall bladder. Carefully monitor the dosage of the drug. For example, people with cystic fibrosis are contraindicated in large doses of enzymes. In children, they can cause intestinal obstruction.
Russian analogue of Mezima
Many patients prefer to use only domestic drugs. Of all the Mezima analogues, most drugs are manufactured by German or Indian pharmaceutical companies. Their price ranges from 100 to 300 rubles, depending on the brand and composition. The most famous and cheapest domestic analogue of Mezima is Pancreatin. In addition, Vestal, Mikrazim, Panzikam and Panzim-forte are produced in our country. These drugs are not so expensive, therefore, accessible to everyone. And in action they are in no way inferior to foreign drugs.