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Essentially a generic is the same as a brand-name medication. A generic is a therapeutically equivalent medication that can be produced once the patent or registered trademark has expired on its brand-name counterpart. It has been fully tested and approved by the Food and Drug Administration and is usually identified by its chemical name. The Food and Drug Administration has mandated that generic medications meet the same standards as their brand-name counter-parts in strength, safety, purity, performance, and that they be manufactured according to federal standards. The colors or shapes of the generic medication will differ from their brand-name counterparts, but this does not affect their standard of quality. |