There is no real difference in the actual medication. Generics must have the same bioavailability as the brand-name drugs they emulate. Generics must be comparable to a brand-name product in dosage form, strength, route of administration (pill, injection, topical, etc.), quality and performance characteristics, and intended use.There is no real difference in the actual medication. Generics must have the same bioavailability as the brand-name drugs they emulate. Generics must be comparable to a brand-name product in dosage form, strength, route of administration (pill, injection, topical, etc.), quality and performance characteristics, and intended use.
What is different is that brand-name drugs are granted a 17-year exclusive patent when discovered. Since development and testing typically take eight to 12 years, brand-name drugs enjoy a five- to nine-year patent exclusivity period. This, theoretically, allows them time to recover their research and development costs (the reason brand-name drugs are so expensive). Upon patent expiration, generic manufacturers can market the same drug at any price they choose. Brand-name drugs always must come before their cheap, popular generic copycat.
According to an April 2011 IMS health study, generics now account for 78 percent of all retail prescriptions dispensed.
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