Brand name vs. Generic drugs: What's the difference?

Q: How can I judge if a generic version of a drug has the same dosage, quality and safety as the brand name?
- Mary / Wisconsin

A: If you buy a generic medication — either prescription or over the counter — in the United States, you can be sure that the drug has the same dosage, quality and safety as the brand name.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sets strict guidelines and quality standards to ensure that a generic drug acts in the body with the same strength and rate of absorption as the brand-name drug. Generic drugs must meet such criteria in order to be considered therapeutically equivalent to brand names. Herbal and nutritional supplements aren't regulated by the FDA in the same way.

Generic drugs purchased from other countries or over the Internet from sites outside of the United States aren't regulated by the FDA. As a result, they may not be equivalent to brand-name products or as safe as generics purchased from a legitimate site in the United States.