product to be registered. Chlorothalonil and iprodione are among the chemistries that have been off patent long enough in different generic formulations to establish a good track record, and many superintendents are happy with their respective performances. The main reason for the proliferation of look-alike products is the expiration of patents. In the USA agricultural chemical formulations are patented for seventeen years whilst, in Australia, this period is now eight years data protection. During those years, only the company that has developed the product is allowed to produce and commercialise it. After that period, any company can synthesise the herbicide and commercialise it under a different name.
However, the decision to market an off-patent chemical is not that simple for three reasons. Firstly, the original manufacturer can lower the market pricing of the branded product, therefore making it difficult to compete. The second reason as to whether or not to go to market is that the original manufacturer might have been successful in developing an improved formulation that is now under patent protection and makes the original chemistry inferior. This is the case with propiconazole (Banner Turf (250g/L), now marketed as Banner Maxx (144g/L) (Syngenta). The third obstacle to marketing an off-patent product is cost. While generic products offer price
advantages, market experience shows that they are only able to capture between 10-30% of the market. However, assuming a generic manufacturer decides to enter the marketplace, the key, and major driver influencing any purchase, is their cheaper price. As generic manufacturers do not pay the cost of developing the herbicide, they are able to sell the generic products cheaper than the brand name alternative. Regardless of what company makes the herbicide, the core issue is whether generic herbicides are as good as brand-name ones.
Both generic and original branded
products have the same active ingredients. Therefore, generic and brand name herbicides should have the same performance. However, generic and brand name pesticides are not required to have the same inactive ingredients.
In the case, for example, of soil applied herbicides the inactive ingredients would only influence handling and mixing properties of the formulation. therefore, actual performance in the soil should not be affected.
How well the product sticks to the leaf surfaces, as well as other factors, are where the composition of the inactive ingredients (solvents, stabilisers, emulsifiers, surfactants and other additives) of post emergent products can have a broader influence. These additives can make a
difference in the performance of the
product you are buying, and are usually listed on the label as inert ingredients with no additional information revealed to the buyer. Nevertheless, products are extensively tested before release, and differences should be minimal, unless one of the inactive ingredients is missing altogether.
Another difference between generic and brand name herbicides could be the physical form of the active ingredient.
Glyphosate, the active ingredient of
Roundup, has a host of generic versions on the market and these may differ in chemical form, i.e. potassium, di- ammonium, or mono-ammonium salts. Nevertheless, several studies showed that only minor differences were observed between the glyphosate formulations and these differences were, most likely, due to variations in the weed populations from plot to plot. In conclusion, generic products tend to perform as good as their brand- names counterparts, provided that they have the same inactive ingredients and isomer structure. When evaluating whether generic products fit your business, you should compare their cost, safety and relative performance. Gannon and Yelverton (2007) looked at the question of generic plant growth regulators and herbicides to see how they compared.
Cost, efficacy and potential formulation issues were all examined from the turf managers perspective. A number of branded and generic
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