Brand name versus generic drugs: A point of view on the safety and efficacy

A generic drug is a pharmaceutical product, usually intended to be interchangeable with an innovator product, that is manufactured without a license from the innovator company and marketed after the expiry date of the patent or other exclusive rights. One mechanism to reduce pharmaceutical spending is to increase utilization of generic medications in daily practice, but there are many ethical issues inherent in utilizing brand name versus generic medications. In fact some points, such as bioequivalence and the role of excipients, may be clarified regarding the clinical efficacy and safety during the switch from brand to generic formulations. The use of generic drugs could be related with an increased days of disease or might lead to a therapeutic failure.