When a drug company discovers a new drug, they often patent this new drug so that no other company can produce the same drug. This is called a brand name drug. Once this patent expires, other drug companies can make the generic drug, which has the same active ingredients as the brand name drug.

• A generic drug is a medicine made without patent protection
• Generic drugs look different from brand name drugs but they have the same active ingredients and are made under the same standards as brand name drugs
• Generic drugs may have different colors, flavors and other inactive ingredients which do not change the active ingredients of the drug
• Generic drugs are usually much less expensive than the brand name drug