In the coming months, you may hear a lot about Teva, a generic drug company that has been valued at over $16 billion. The reason behind all the buzz is that Teva makes some great medications that can help people with various conditions. But what is Teva, and what does it actually do? Let’s examine.
What Is Teva?
The short answer is that Teva is a generic drug company that originally came up with the idea of producing bio-identical hormone-replacement therapy. The hormone-replacement therapy market was once a $35 billion market, but it declined by nearly 50% in 2015 as a result of generic competition and the rise of pill-cost-parity laws in many countries. As a result of the market share loss, several major drug manufacturers got into the act and bought out several smaller ones (including Teva) as a way to maintain their positions in
the market.
Unlike most other drug companies, Teva’s main business line isn’t making medications to treat specific conditions. Instead, it creates medications that work in a similar fashion to the naturally-occurring hormones that your body produces. So, if your endocrine system is producing fewer amounts of the hormone insulin, you may benefit from an insulin injection or medication that promotes the production of insulin by your pancreas. Similarly, if the level of testosterone in your body is declining, you may need an analog of this hormone to boost your libido or prevent potential problems from arising. Even if you have never heard of these hormones or their associated diseases, you may know exactly what type of medication you need based on your unique medical history. This is thanks to Teva’s efforts in creating a medication that can offer personalized medication options for patients who may suffer from serious illnesses like cancer or diabetes. Some of these medications are expensive; however, thanks to government-funded assistance programs like MEDICARE and insurance companies like AETNA and CIGNA, it’s often not as expensive as you’d think. In fact, many medications for specific conditions are actually covered by Medicare and insurance companies.
What Is Bio-Identical Hormone-Replacement Therapy?
To put it simply, bio-identical hormone-replacement therapy uses compounds (bio-identical hormones) that are structurally similar to the naturally-occurring hormones your body produces. This usually results in fewer side effects and more efficient use of the medication (in most cases). When compared to traditional hormone replacement therapy, which uses hormones derived from animal organs or chemical substitutes, the structurally-similar compounds produced by bio-identical hormone-replacement therapy have an improved ability to penetrate the skin and become active in the body.
While it’s not always the case, the structurally-similar compounds produced by bio-identical hormone-replacement therapy tend to be less susceptible to breakdown by enzymes in the body and, as a result, have a longer half-life in the blood. This means your body will require less frequent blood tests to ensure you’re still producing the correct levels of hormones in your bloodstream. So, if you’re looking for an alternative to traditional hormone replacement therapy, you may want to give bio-identical hormone-replacement therapy a try. Even if you’re using traditional hormone-replacement therapy for the first time, it’s often not necessary to switch to an alternative just yet as your body may not have reached its potential for producing the hormones it needs to stay in good health. For this reason, it’s often best to start out on a low dose and work your way up as needed. In some cases, it may take several months before you notice the benefits of the medication you’re taking.
Why Should You Use Teva?
When you’re first exploring the world of healthcare and medication, it’s often hard to know where to start your research. Luckily, there are several companies like Teva that put out reliable information about the medications they produce and how they can benefit unique groups of people. As we mentioned above, Teva makes several medications that can help people with diverse conditions. Some of these conditions include:
- Anxiety
- Arthritis
- Blood clots
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Depression
- Diabetes
- Fibromyalgia
- Heart disease
- Hypertension
- Migraine headaches
- Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
- Parkinson’s disease
- Sleep apnea
- Stroke
- Thyroid disease
- Urogenital conditions (women’s health)
- Weight loss
You can find a complete list of the conditions that Teva treats at this link, but as you can see, there’s a lot of medical need out there. Even if you don’t have any of these conditions or don’t fit the descriptions above, there’s a good chance you know someone whose life could be improved by the medications produced by Teva. In these cases, Teva can help give you a reliable source of information about the medication before and after your purchase. Thanks to programs like PART B and the Affordable Care Act, it’s often not as expensive as you’d think it would be. So, if you’re thinking about exploring this option further, it’s often best to start out small (e.g., a quarter dose at first) and see how your body reacts. If you notice any benefits, you can then decide whether or not to continue with the medication or switch to another option. In either case, if you’ve got insurance, it’s likely your medication will be covered under your policy.
How Long Does It Take For The Medications To Work?
As we mentioned above, many of the medications produced by Teva have a long half-life in the blood. This usually means the medication will still be active in the blood stream even after the initial dose has been administered. In other words, it can take a while for the medication to start working. In most cases, this will depend on the specific condition you’re treating as well as your body’s natural reaction to the medication. For instance, thyroid medications can take several weeks or months to take effect. In these cases, it’s often not necessary to take the medication every day and sometimes even just once a week can result in noticeable improvements. In the case of steroids, which are used to treat a variety of conditions, it takes a while for the body to adjust to the medication and start producing the needed hormones. In most cases, it takes about four to six weeks for these medications to start showing results and in some cases, it can take a little longer (e.g., up to three months for some individuals).
Keep in mind that this is just a general guideline and situations like weight loss, heart disease, and hypertension are especially sensitive to the effects of medication as they can take several weeks or longer to show visible results. In some instances, it may be necessary to slowly increase the dose as the patient’s condition starts to improve to ensure the best results possible. Thanks to modern medicine, people with many different medical conditions can now live longer than ever before. This means there are more people who could potentially benefit from the medications made by Teva. If you know someone who could use some help, be sure to explore this option further.