Physicians around the world show an ongoing tendency to prescribe generic medicines.

However, the question which is always posed by patients is whether these medicines boast the same quality as brand drugs. In other words, are these medicines worth purchasing?

Actually, generic medicines are produced in complete correspondence with name-brands, namely, have the same purpose, presupposed effects, doses, way of consumption, security rates, and so on. Speaking differently, they are pharmaceutically equal to original medicine.

For instance, sildenafil citrate is a generic substance prescribed to treat erectile dysfunction. This brand-name alternative is Viagra. (The only difference between brands and generic variants is in orthography, the former begin with capital letters). For hair loss they commonly use finasteride, a generic variant for Propecia brand.

Confusion is commonly seen in the fact that brand name alternatives are considerably costlier than their generic versions. So the question is whether quality has been the price to pay for their cheapness. Still, Food and Drug Administration (or FDA) poses a necessary requirement for these medicines to be identical in contents and quality.

Still, the explanation for lower price lies in absence of necessity to pay for researches and campaigns connected with new medicine's introduction to the market. When a drug only comes to the industry, its arrival is a result of long-term scientific development, analysis and even advertisement. The developer receives a patent, the document, which makes it an exclusive producer and marketer of this medicine until patent expiry.

When this document becomes inactive, other developers address to FDA to make it possible for them to produce generic variations. However, this time, it won't cost them so much to introduce the medicine into the market, for they won't have to pay for research and advertising, and would likely produce cheaper alternative. The cost would even drop further to survive in fight with competitors.

Conclusively, there's no reason to allege that brand name medicines are better in quality than their generic alternatives. The fact is that conditions required to produce a drug are equal for all medicines, be they brand-name or generic. Moreover, companies which happen to manufacture widely known brands also produce generic medicines.

One more myth propagated by consumers is that generic medicines are slower in action. However, another requirement posed for manufacturers is to produce an equally effective medication.

It may happen that generic medicines vary from brand alternatives in color, side components and flavors. But it's the legislation which forbids manufacturers to produce fully identical alternatives, though the core components should completely correspond with those of original medicine, to provide equal effect in course of treatment.