Patented drugs are the first brand-name drugs to be developed, patented and protected, and the general protection period is 17-20 years. During the protection period, other enterprises may not copy and sell without permission.
The original drug mainly refers to the first drug developed and marketed. If the original drug has passed the patent protection period, other enterprises can copy it.
Generic drugs are drugs with the same active ingredients, dosage forms, routes of administration and therapeutic effects as the original drugs. The generic drug that passed the consistency evaluation is equivalent to the original drug in pharmacy and bioequivalent (that is, the quality and efficacy are consistent), but the cost is lower than that of the original drug, so it can be replaced by the original drug in clinic.
So, what does "consistency evaluation of generic drug quality and efficacy" mean?