generic
Meaning of generic: Brand names multiply and change with whoever is selling the product, while the official name stays fixed to the ingredient itself.
Definition of generic
Generic is the official nonproprietary name of a medication, assigned by a naming body and used by every manufacturer, as opposed to the brand name a company markets it under. The word also names a generic drug, a product containing the same active ingredient, strength and intended use as the original brand version.
Where does a generic name come from?
It is not chosen by the company that discovered the drug. National and international naming committees assign it, and they build each name around a stem that marks the family the drug belongs to. Names ending in -olol belong to the beta blockers, -pril to one group of blood pressure drugs, -statin to the cholesterol lowering group, and -mab to treatments based on antibodies. The stem carries real information, so an unfamiliar medication can often be placed in a class from its name alone. What the name does not do is describe the molecule precisely: the full chemical name of a drug is a separate and far longer string that almost nobody uses outside a laboratory.
How does a generic product differ from the brand?
| What has to match the brand | What is allowed to differ |
|---|---|
| The active ingredient and its strength | Color, shape, size and imprinted markings |
| The route and the dosage form | Inactive ingredients such as fillers, dyes and coatings |
| The labeled uses and the amount reaching the blood | Packaging, manufacturer and price |
A copy must demonstrate bioequivalence before it can be sold, meaning it delivers the active ingredient into the bloodstream at a rate and to an extent that falls inside an accepted range around the original. That is the basis for treating the two as interchangeable for most purposes. The differences that remain are usually minor, though inactive ingredients matter to someone allergic to a particular dye or filler, and a tablet that changes appearance between refills is a frequent source of confusion. A generic version becomes possible only after the patents and exclusivity periods protecting the original expire, which is why some widely used drugs have many competing versions and others have none.
Why does one drug sometimes have two official names?
Nonproprietary naming is coordinated internationally, but a handful of names were established separately before that coordination existed and were never reconciled. Acetaminophen and paracetamol are the same compound, as are epinephrine and adrenaline, and albuterol and salbutamol. Both members of each pair are generic names rather than brand names, which makes the usual rule of thumb unreliable at exactly the moment someone is comparing labels from two countries. The confusion also runs the other way, because a brand name can cover different ingredients in different markets, so recognizing the brand says less than recognizing the ingredient.
Also known as
Used in a sentence
The prescription was written using the medication's generic name rather than a specific brand name.
Good to know
A drug's generic name remains the same regardless of which manufacturer produces it, while a brand name belongs to the company marketing that particular product, which is why one medication can appear under several different names on a label or prescription.