A citizen-driven initiative called, "The Citizens Generic vs. Brand Drugs Quality Project" has reported that generic medicines in India are comparable in quality to branded counterparts, challenging perceptions that higher cost means superior drug quality.
The study was conducted by drugs sourced from citizens who volunteered to send the drugs for the study which was initiated by Dr. Cyriac Abby Philips, a hepatologist from Kerala.
The drugs collected was sent to Eureka Analytical Services Pvt. Ltd. in Kundli, Sonipat, an FSSAI-notified and US-FDA and NABL/ISO 17025 accredited laboratory providing comprehensive pharmaceutical, API, and drug testing services.
According to Dr. Cyriac Abby Philips (“TheLiverDoc”), the project tested medicines across therapeutic categories, including antibiotics, heart disease, diabetes, liver disorders and pain relief and found no significant difference in drug content, dissolution, uniformity, impurities and physical appearance between branded and generic versions.
The project analyzed 131 medicine samples from pharmacies across Kerala, including:
Top-selling branded drugs
Branded generics
Local trade generics
Government-supplied generics from schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana and Kerala Medical Services Corporation Limited (KMSCL)
All generic samples passed testing at an FSSAI-notified and USFDA-accredited laboratory using Indian Pharmacopoeia standards for drug quality. The average drug content for branded drugs was approximately 101.35 %, while generic drugs averaged about 99.10 %, indicating nearly equivalent content of active pharmaceutical ingredients.
The study also highlighted cost differences: branded drugs averaged ₹11.17 per tablet, while generics averaged much lower, with government Jan Aushadhi medicines often being the cheapest (e.g., pantoprazole costing ₹1.21 compared with ₹16.82 for a branded version).
The results suggest that for many commonly prescribed medicines, generic versions offer similar quality at a fraction of the cost, which can have significant implications for patient adherence and financial burden, especially in chronic conditions requiring long-term medication.
In the case highlighted by Dr Philips, a patient with liver disease was unable to afford a branded antibiotic (Rifaximin) after two weeks, potentially contributing to disease progression and higher hospital costs.
Other academic research has found similar conclusions:
A comparative study of five medicines (including alprazolam and ciprofloxacin) showed that both branded and branded-generic versions manufactured by the same company fulfilled quality standards as per the Indian Pharmacopoeia and had similar assay and dissolution profiles.1
A public hospital study in West Bengal found no significant difference in perceived effectiveness, safety or patient adherence between generic and branded medicines, while generics had significantly lower costs. 2
Generic medicines contain the same active ingredient, strength, dosage form and route of administration as their branded equivalents once a patent expires. They are generally priced lower because they do not bear the original developer’s brand costs or extensive marketing expenses. Regulatory authorities require generics to meet defined pharmacopoeial standards for quality, safety and efficacy.
In India, generics may be sold under company-specific brand names (often termed “branded generics”), or under non-branded names in government schemes like Jan Aushadhi, further increasing affordability without compromising on quality according to the recent testing project results.
Despite evidence on quality equivalence, perceptions among doctors and patients sometimes favor branded drugs due to familiarity, marketing influences and historical beliefs about effectiveness. Previous studies note that such perceptions are often based on opinion or anecdote rather than empirical evidence.
Health authorities and policy experts emphasize that prescribing medicines by their generic names and increasing awareness of government-verified generics can help reduce treatment costs without undermining therapeutic outcomes.
Contemporary testing using regulatory standards indicates no meaningful quality difference between many generic and branded medicines in India.
Generic drugs are often substantially cheaper, with government schemes offering the most affordable options.
Studies from public healthcare settings support comparable effectiveness, safety and patient adherence for generics versus branded drugs.
Awareness of generics and regulatory assurance play key roles in patient confidence and cost-effective care.
References
Agarwal, Vinod K., Sanjay S. Bhatia, and Manish S. Dutt. “A Comparative Evaluation of Branded Versus Generic Pharmaceuticals: Assay and Dissolution Tests.” International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences 3, no. 5 (2011): 287–289. PubMed Central (PMC). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3081449/.
Chakraborty, S., N. Mandal, D. Banerjee, S. Bandyopadhyay, P. K. Dutta, and A. S. Banerjee. “Comparative Study of Brand and Generic Medicines in a Public Hospital in West Bengal, India: Impact on Cost and Adherence.” Journal of Generic Medicines 15, no. 2 (2018): 78–86. PubMed Central (PMC). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5320819/