How Are Generic Drugs "Graded"?

[tex]

In response to a request by Luce, here's a little information on generic drugs, and how they are graded:

Do all generic drugs work the same way?

No, there are some differences. The Food and Drug Administration grades generic drugs for bioequivalence, and publishes that information in a compendium commonly referred to as the Orange Book. A small proportion of generic drugs (4 percent) are rated as "non-therapeutically equivalent," and a handful of those are considered "non-equivalent." If you're interested in looking up the generics you use and discussing that information with your doctor, the Orange Book is available online on the FDA's Web site.

This quote comes from this site, which discusses the "bioequavilence" of generic drugs:

http://healthresources.caremark.com/topic/genericsafety

Here is the online FDA Orange Book that is mentioned in the article:

http://www.fda.gov/cder/ob/

Tex

[Sally]

Thank you, Wayne. I just ran all my generic drugs through the Orange Book. They have all been graded therapeutically equivalent. I never knew there was such a thing, but I have always kind of wondered.

Love,

Sally