What are generics?
Generic drugs or “generics” are pharmaceutical preparations that contain the same active ingredients in the same concentration as better known originator drugs. They are therefore therapeutically equivalent to the original drug. Generics usually appear on the market after the patents of the corresponding originator drugs have expired.
Generic pharmaceuticals contain exactly the same active ingredients as their branded counterparts. A drug company can hold exclusive patent rights to make a drug for 20 years after its discovery. After that, other companies can start making generic versions of the drug. In almost all cases, generics work as well as their brand-name siblings, and often cost considerably less. This is possible not because of lower quality, but because research and advertising costs are much less for generics. Many insurance plans encourage you to accept the generic version of a drug whenever it’s medically safe.
