Generic

<B>1.</B> The chemical name of a drug.

<B>2.</B> A term referring to the chemical makeup of a drug rather than to the advertised brand name under which the drug may be sold.

<B>3.</B>A term referring to any drug marketed under its chemical name without advertising.<BR> Generic drugs marketed without brand names are generally less expensive than brand-name drugs, even though they are chemically identical to brand-name drugs and meet the same standards of the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) for safety, purity and effectiveness.

Generic drugs can be legally produced in the US if a patent has expired, or for drugs which have never been patented.

The expiration of a patent removes the monopoly of the patent holder on drug sales licensing.