Do generic drugs really work as well as their counterparts? That’s the question doctors, patients, and researchers across the country want to answer.

The FDA requires generic drugs to use the same active ingredients and deliver those active ingredients into the patient’s bloodstream as effectively as “pioneer” drugs do.
 
However, some experts are saying this is not a good method of measuring the effectiveness of generic drugs. They say that this method, called “bioequivalence,” is not proof that the medicine is as useful as pioneer medicine.
 
Experts say that the FDA needs to account for how the generic drugs are manufactured, and if they include alternative ingredients like lactose or sugar.
 
Generic drugs are used by many patients because they are often more affordable than pioneer drugs. They can also sometimes be ordered online.
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