Brand-name versus generic drugs
Prescription drugs can be costly. To help keep health care costs low without compromising quality, Blue Care Network and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan promote the use of generic drugs. Estimates show that even a one percent increase in the sales of generics result in savings of $17 million for Michigan Blues customers alone.
There's little difference between a brand-name drug and its generic equivalent — other than cost. The Food and Drug Administration requires that generic drugs have the identical active ingredients as their brand-name equivalents. They may differ from brand-name drugs in color and shape, but otherwise they are the same.
Because generics are significantly lower in cost than brand-name drugs, we urge consumers and pharmacists to choose generic equivalents when filling prescriptions. We also require that prescriptions be automatically filled with the generic equivalent when medically appropriate.
Learn more about generic drugs
page modified 04/23/2008