Leading Pharma vs. Actavis Lorazepam Ingredients

In our latest question and answer, the pharmacist discusses the difference between the ingredients in lorazepam products from two different manufacturers: Leading Pharma and Actavis.

Leading Pharma vs. Actavis Lorazepam Ingredients
Jul 31, 2019

Moon asked

Do Leading Pharma generic lorazepam and Actavis Labs generic lorazepam have the same active ingredient in them? I worry about that when changing companies.

At a glance

  • Leading Pharma and Actavis lorazepam products contain the same active ingredient (lorazepam) and the same inactive ingredients (lactose, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose and polacrilin potassium).

Answer

White Pills With Pink Question Mark Pills In Middle

Yes, Leading Pharma and Actavis lorazepam products both contain the exact same active ingredient, which is of course lorazepam.

Oftentimes, the only the difference between two products different generic products (for a specific brand name, like Ativan) are the inactive ingredients they use.

This is why generics often look different from their brand name counterparts (and other generic products for that matter).

Interestingly enough, in the case of Leading Pharma and Actavis lorazepam, not only do they contain the same active ingredient (lorazepam), they actually, both contain the same inactive ingredients as well.

They may differ slightly in how much of each inactive ingredient is contained in the tablets, but rest assured, the actual ingredients are the same.

It is important to note that that substitutable generic products must show equivalent (within a statistical margin) bioavailability (i.e. rate and extent of absorption) to the brand name product. So even if Leading Pharma and Actavis lorazepam did have different inactive ingredients, they would still need to have the same properties in regard to their rate and extent of absorption.

Comparison

As stated, lorazepam products from Leading Pharma and Actavis contain the same inactive ingredients, which doesn't always happen between generic products.

Below are the listed ingredients for each product in question.

Leading Pharma Lorazepam 1mg

The prescribing information for Leading Pharma lorazepam gives the following ingredient information:

References
  1. Lorazepam Prescribing Information - Actavis. DailyMed
  2. Lorazepam Prescribing Information - Leading Pharma. DailyMed
  3. Inactive Ingredient Search for Approved Drug Products: Frequently Asked Questions. FDA
  4. CFR - Code of Federal Regulations Title 21. AccessFDA
  5. Effect of polacrilin potassium as disintegrant on bioavailability of diclofenac potassium in tablets: a technical note. PubMed

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