Frequently Asked Questions: Generic and Biosimilar – Medications

A generic medication is a product that is equivalent to a brand-name medication whose patent protections have expired.As part of the generic medication approval process, the FDA requires that generics have the same active ingredients, strength, dosage and mode of administration as the brand-name medication, and that they are manufactured according to federal quality control regulations.Manufacturers are required to show that the generic medication delivers the same amount of active ingredients to the person’s bloodstream in the same amount of time as the brand-name product—referred to as bioequivalence