How Are Generic Medications Different From Originals?

28. Oktober 2025

2 Min. Lesezeit

Ratgeber öffnen Sammlung öffnen Serie öffnen

A generic drug is a drug made under license from the pharmaceutical company that developed it and brought it to market. Generics are based on the same active ingredients as the original medicine developed by the brand name company. But are they as effective?

Wichtigste Erkenntnisse

A generic drug is a drug made under license from the pharmaceutical company that developed it and brought it to market.
How does it work?
Company secrets

Für wen das ist

Für alle, die Gesunder Lebensstil über medicine, generic medications erkunden.

Warum es wichtig ist

Dieser Artikel hilft dir, dich schnell zu orientieren, und führt dich dann zu einer Sammlung oder Serie, wenn du weitermachen möchtest.

Artikelautor

Dr. Mila

Kardiologe

How does it work?

Bringing a new medication to the market is a complicated, lengthy, and costly process. The developer must conduct preclinical steps, several phases of clinical trials, pharmacokinetic studies, and study the physicochemical and biological properties of the drug. The drug is then tested on volunteers for a long time, and only after that, it is introduced to the market.

To have the exclusive right to sell it, the manufacturer patents it, and only after the patent expires (which can be up to 20 years) can other companies reproduce it under license.

It is much easier to produce a drug under license — in other words, a generic one that has already been tested by the original manufacturer and approved by regulatory bodies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). There is no need to spend money on invention and efficacy testing. This also makes it possible to produce the drug in countries with cheap labor. All of this contributes to generics being cheaper than the original.

Company secrets

Laws regarding generics are strict in the U.S. Legally produced generics are produced under close supervision, and their bioequivalence to the original is always investigated. Ideally, the effect of generics should not differ from the parent drug. However the composition of any drug, in addition to the main active ingredient, includes a variety of ingredients. That is why when creating a generic, the most difficult task is the selection of excipients since they can change the nature of the drug. The quality of raw materials, which contain different amounts of impurities, and the production technology are also important.

Quality control is carried out by the company manufacturing the generic drug. A serious company conducts not only mandatory bioequivalence tests, but also pharmacokinetic tests, checking how quickly the drug is absorbed when its concentration in the blood reaches a maximum, and how quickly it is eliminated from the body.

Generics are a boon to health care because they make treatment more affordable and create competition in the marketplace. Always consult your doctor about which specific medication is right for your medical needs.

A good generic drug will have the following qualities:

Not too cheap
Does not have more contraindications than the original
Requirements for generics are higher in the European Union and the United States, which means that medicines produced there are usually more effective and safer
Look for the GMP mark — if the package bears this mark, the effectiveness of the generic is the same as that of the original

Weiterlesen

Gesunder Lebensstil#glaucoma

The Beginners’ Guide: What You Need To Know About Cannabidiol (CBD)

So you have heard about CBD and it can help you with your problem, but you don’t know where to start. Here is a short beginner’s guide to CBD!

Dr. Asya28. Okt. 2025

Gesunder Lebensstil#Gesunder Lebensstil

6 der seltensten medizinischen Fachgebiete

Mit der Entwicklung der Medizin haben sich stark spezialisierte Fachärzte herausgebildet, deren Aufgabe es ist, Probleme zu lösen, die über die Kompetenz von Allgemeinmedizinern hinausgehen. Lesen Sie weiter, um herauszufinden, ob Sie einen von ihnen brauchen.

Helen10. Dez. 2025

Gesunder Lebensstil#cold

Why Do I Need To Wear a Hat in the Winter?

This may seem like a strange question. However, many people, especially women, refuse to wear hats in cold weather to avoid messing up their hair. Do you really need to wear a hat in cold weather?

Dr. Mila28. Okt. 2025

Gesundheit von Frauen#medicine

When Do Doctors Prescribe Rectal Medicines, and Are They Worth It?

Medications can be taken in different ways. The method depends on the diagnosis, the patient's condition, and concomitant diseases. It is more familiar and easier for us to swallow pills, but sometimes doctors insist on rectal suppositories. Let's consider why?

Dr. Irene28. Okt. 2025

Installiere Ornament, um nicht nur diese Artikel zu lesen, sondern auch deine Gesundheit zu verfolgen, Testergebnisse zu speichern und auf weitere nützliche Funktionen zuzugreifen

Ornament installieren