Patient Education
Generic medications are just as safe and effective as their brand-name counterparts, and often cost less. While nearly 9 in 10 prescriptions filled are for generics, many people have questions about whether they are really as good as the name brand medications and, if so, why there is a cost savings. To help educate patients about FDA’s rigorous review process, the economics of pricing, and related issues, FDA offers a range of educational materials, including videos, graphics, fact sheets, and related resources. Information and materials about generic drugs are also available in Spanish. Visit our Medicamentos Genéricos section.
- New Patient and Prescriber Educational Materials
- Infographics
- Public Service Announcements (PSAs) for Radio, Internet, Print
- Public Educational Materials
- Articles
New Patient and Prescriber Educational Materials
Patient/Consumer Public Service Announcement
Prescriber Advertisement
Prescriber Ad, version 1 (PDF - 142KB)
Prescriber Ad Generics version 2 (PDF - 221KB)
Generic Drug Facts Handout
Generic Drug Facts Handout (PDF - 148KB)
Stakeholder Toolkit
Sample social media posts and information cards for stakeholders to help share FDA materials, resources, and information.
Infographics
Facts About Generic Drugs
Today, nearly 9 in 10 prescriptions filled in the United States are for generic drugs. The use of generic drugs is expected to grow over the next few years as a number of popular drugs come off patent through 2015.
Download a high-resolution, printable PDF of this infographic (PDF - 239 KB).
Postmarketing Surveillance of Generic Drugs
Download a high-resolution, printable PDF of this infographic (PDF - 282 KB).
What Makes a Generic the Same as a Brand-Name Drug?
Download a high-resolution, printable PDF of this infographic (PDF - 431 KB).
Exclusivity and Generic Drugs: What Does It Mean?
Download a high-resolution, printable PDF of this infographic (PDF - 469 KB).
Public Service Announcements (PSAs) for Internet, Print
Radio Ads
Audio files and transcripts for radio announcements.
English Radio Ads
- Safe and Effective (15-seconds)
- Safe and Effective (30-seconds)
Spanish Radio Ads
- Doctor’s office (30-seconds)
Public Educational Materials
Brochures
- Brochure: Facts about Generic Drugs
- Questions, Answers, and Facts about Generic Drugs (HTML)
- Questions, Answers, and Facts about Generic Drugs
- Low resolution (PDF-109KB) (FDA Archive)
- High resolution (PDF-2MB) (FDA Archive)
- You know the questions that go through your mind when you take a generic drug? Here are the answers. (HTML)
- You know the questions that go through your mind when you take a generic drug? Here are the answers. (PDF - 76 KB)
Presentations
- What You Want to Know about Generic Drugs Presentation (PDF - 2.6 MB)
Fact Sheets
- What is the approval process for Generic Drugs?
- What’s Involved in Reviewing and Approving Generic Drug Applications? (PDF - 99.6 KB)