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Q: Are generics really as good as the brand name?

A: Yes! The FDA requires it. The number 1 misconception about generic drugs is that brand-name medicines are higher quality than generics, according to Gordon Johnston, acting director for the US FDA office of Generic Drugs. Both brand-name and generic drugs must meet the agaency's (FDA) tough guidelines before they are approved, Johnston says.

Generic drugs measure up to their brand equivalent in 3 ways prior to their approval:

1. Pharmaceutical Equivalence - they must have the same active ingredients, the same dosage form and strength as their brand-name counterparts.
2. Bioequivalence - Studies must prove that the generic drug is absorbed and utilized by your body at the same rate and extent as the brand-name drug.
3. Therapeutically Equivalent - generics have the same clinical effects as their brand-name counterparts.

People mistakenly believe cost is equivalent to quality and that is simply not the case with generic medications. Generics should be viewed as a plausible way for all of us that take medicine, to reduce our overall healthcare costs.

For more information about generic medications please visit http://www.napmnet.org

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Last modified: March 30, 2007