ABSTRACT
A 'drug' may be defined as a substance endowed with some action on living matter. This substance may have an established or nonproprietary or generic name, a chemical name, and one or more brand names. Although the finite definition of 'generic' means a class of substances having the same biologic properties, 'generic' has customarily been used as a synonym for established or nonproprietary names. Health professionals now use the word 'proprietary' for brand or trademark names and 'nonproprietary' for generic or established names. In December, 1959, Senator Kefauver's much publicized hearings on monopoly in the drug industry began. Subsequently, Senator Nelson's hearings suggested that generic drugs cost less than their brand-name counterparts. Manufacturers became concerned that prescriptions for their trademarked products might be filled with a substitute product, which is now popularly termed as the generic equivalent. Generic manufacturers have argued that the possibility for mistaking the source of the drug is remote.
