In most cases, generic products become available after the patent protections afforded to the drugвЂ™s original developer expire. Biosimilars have active pharmaceutical ingredients that are almost identical to the original product and are typically regulated under an extended set of rules, but they are not the same as generic drugs as the active ingredients are not the same as those of their reference products. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires generics to be identical to or within an acceptable bioequivalent range of their brand-name counterparts, with respect to pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties.(The FDAвЂ™s use of the word вЂњidenticalвЂќ is a legal interpretation, not literal.)Д«iopharmaceuticals, such as monoclonal antibodies, differ biologically from small molecule drugs. A generic drug must contain the same active ingredients as the original brand-name formulation. They are labeled with the name of the manufacturer and a generic non-proprietary name such as the United States Adopted Name (USAN) or International Non-proprietary Name (INN) of the drug. A generic drug has the same active pharmaceutical ingredient ( API) as the original, but it may differ in some characteristics such as the manufacturing process, formulation, excipients, color, taste, and packaging.ДЄlthough they may not be associated with a particular company, generic drugs are usually subject to government regulations in the countries in which they are dispensed. Because the active chemical substance is the same, the medical profile of generics is believed to be equivalent in performance. Generic drugs are allowed for sale after the patents on the original drugs expire. A generic drug is a pharmaceutical drug that contains the same chemical substance as a drug that was originally protected by chemical patents.

List of shoprite generic drug program