There is a common misconception among both consumers and physicians that generic medications are in some way inferior to brand-name medications. "Most people believe that if something costs more, it has to be better quality. In the case of generic drugs, this is not true," says Gary Buehler, Director of FDA's Office of Generic Drugs.

"The standards for quality are the same for brand-name and generic products," he says. The FDA requires generics to have the same quality, strength, purity, and stability as brand-name drugs.

Savings potential

Moreover, according to a recent national research study conducted by Express Scripts, members of commercial medical insurance plans across 48 U.S. states have the potential of saving $20 billion annually by using generic drugs in a number of selected categories. California ranks with several other states having the largest annual savings opportunity of more than $1 billion.

In most of UC’s HMO plans, the copayment for generic drugs is half the copayment amount for equivalent brand-name drugs. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if there is a generic product that you could be using. Not only will you have a lower copayment or out-of-pocket cost, but you'll help to control the cost of prescription drugs in our medical plans—which could help to temper future plan premium increases.

You can find a wealth of information about generic drugs, including myths and facts, at the FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research website.