Save money by switching to generic medications

A generic drug is a medication created to be the same as an already marketed brand-name drug in dosage form, safety, strength, route of administration, quality, performance characteristics, and intended use.  They are commonly prescribed and used, in fact 90% of prescriptions in the U.S. are generics.⁴

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires generic medications to be bioequivalent to their branded counterpart. This means that the generic must have the same active ingredients, benefits, dosage form (e.g., pill, injectable), safety profile, strength, and way of administering it.⁵

Yes! Generic medications are essentially the same as brand-name medications. They provide the same clinical benefits and work the same way, and therefore can be taken interchangeably. 

The FDA requires that generics have the same clinical risks and benefits as their brand-name counterparts, so one version shouldn’t cause more side effects than the other should. Generics may include different inactive ingredients such as preservatives or fillers. These differences usually don't cause any clinically significant problem for the patient, but in rare situations, a patient might have a sensitivity or intolerance to these inactive ingredients. 

Generic medications must meet the same high safety standards as brand-name medications and go through the same rigorous approval process. The FDA conducts routine inspections of generic drug manufacturing plants to confirm compliance with agency regulations and continuously monitors approved generic drug products to ensure they are safe, effective, and of the highest quality in every step of the supply chain process.

Because of trademark laws, generic medications can’t look the same as brand-name medications. That’s why you’ll notice generics often have different sizes, shapes, colors, flavors, or packaging. The FDA also allows generic drug manufacturers to include different inactive ingredients in these medications. However, none of these changes should affect how the medication works.

Talk with your doctor or pharmacist to see if a generic medication is right for you.