ARE THE GENERIC DRUGS IN YOUR LIFE EQUIVALENT TO THEIR
BRAND-NAME COUNTERPARTS?
Important Points Everyone Should Know

NEW ROCHELLE, NY -- November 4, 2002 -- As the clamor from consumers, legislators and managed care organizations for lower drug prices escalates, consumers are increasingly turning to lower-cost generic versions of brand-name drugs whose patents have expired. To manage this demand, President Bush recently proposed new legislation to speed consumer access to generic drugs.

But are all generic drugs equivalent to their brand-name counterparts? Probably, according to a report in the October 14, 2002 issue of The Medical Letter® on Drugs and Therapeutics, a leading provider of unbiased and comprehensive evaluations of new drugs.

How Generics Are Rated
The Medical Letter report explains that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rates all generic drugs A or B. A-rated drugs are considered interchangeable with the brand-name original. B-rated drugs, representing less than 3 percent of marketed generics, are generally older drugs that may also be equivalent to the brand-name original, but have not been shown to be so by tests in volunteers. Although many people believe, sometimes with religious intensity, that even FDA-approved generic drugs are inferior, there have been no careful studies in patients that have shown that they are. It would probably be safe to assume, therefore, that FDA-approved generics, whether rated A or B, are as effective as their brand-name equivalents.

About The Medical Letter
The Medical Letter Inc., a nonprofit organization founded in 1958, offers health care professionals objective, independent analysis of new drugs. In addition to its biweekly newsletter, The Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics, it also publishes handbooks and software on topics such as adverse drug interactions and antimicrobial therapy. The Medical Letter is supported entirely by subscriber fees and is based in New Rochelle, NY. For more information about The Medical Letter call (800) 211-2769 or visit their Web site at www.medicalletter.org.