What Is Meant By A Generic Drug

Generic drugs, also known as non-proprietary drugs, are those medications which are not patented. Off-patented drugs are the ones which were not patented ever or which have expired patents. To understand what does a generic drug really mean, let’s take the example of Paracetamol. Paracetamol was first produced by Sterling Winthrop Co. in 1953 and was granted a patent for the brand name, ‘Paracetamol’ by the FDS in United States. With a grant of patent, the brand name of the drug became a registered trade mark and only Sterling Winthrop Co. had the rights to use this brand name to sell the drug in the market.