100mg levadopa = 100mg levodopa. Not always.

The anecdotal evidence for variations in the quality of our medications is strong. Now we have some quantification of the issue.

Gasser et al. have compared "the pharmaceutical quality of seven generic levodopa/benserazide hydrochloride combination products marketed in Germany with the original product (Madopar / Prolopa 125, Roche, Switzerland)". [1]

For instance, four different tablets from four generics contained between 94.4% and 98.2% of the advertized levodopa dose.

They also found that "All products contained impurities, exceeding the limits by 79% in one generic product".

By its very nature sampling just some of the drugs produced leads to an underestimation of the problem. Who is to guarantee that ALL pills of ALL medications at ALL times have no worse composition?

Reference

[1] "Pharmaceutical quality of seven generic
Levodopa/Benserazide products compared with
original Madopar / Prolopa"
Urs E Gasser1, Anton Fischer2, Jan P Timmermans2 and Isabelle Arnet
BMC Pharmacology and Toxicology 2013, 14:24
http://www.biomedcentral.com/content...6511-14-24.pdf

John