Generic drugs 'as good as name-brand versions'

Efficacy and safety backed by study looking at China's bulk-buying program

Generic drugs from China have proved as safe and effective as their branded counterparts in real-world studies, and the country's generic medicine sector has improved in quantity and quality in recent years, experts and officials said last week.

A study led by the National Healthcare Security Administration evaluated 23 types of medicines involved in the second and third rounds of the national centralized procurement program, covering drugs used to fight infection and treat cancers and metabolic, endocrinological, mental health, cardiovascular and digestive conditions.

"We found that the efficacy and safety of these drugs are parallel to those of branded drugs," Zhang Lan, the director of pharmacology at Capital Medical University's Xuanwu Hospital and the head of the two-year study, said at a news conference where it was released on Oct 17.