Sources and official registers
Everything on this site traces back to a public regulatory document. These are the originals — go to them directly rather than relying on any secondary summary, including this one.
What a generic is and how it is approved
Definitions, bioequivalence requirements and approval pathways, straight from the agencies that write the rules.
- FDA — Generic Drug FactsThe plainest official statement of what a generic must match and why it costs less.
- FDA — Generic Drugs: Questions & AnswersCovers appearance differences, substitution and quality oversight.
- EMA — Generic and hybrid medicinesThe EU definition and the difference between generic and hybrid applications.
- EMA — Biosimilar medicines overviewWhy follow-on biologicals are not generics.
Looking up a specific medicine
Product-level databases where you can confirm that a named medicine is actually approved.
- FDA Orange Book — Approved Drug ProductsU.S. approvals with therapeutic-equivalence codes.
- EMA — Medicines databaseCentrally authorised EU medicines and their assessment reports.
- WHO — International Nonproprietary Names (INN)The global naming system that lets you match the same molecule across countries.
Verifying a pharmacy
Registers and accreditation programmes. Search these directly; never trust a badge on a shop page.
- European Commission — Falsified medicines and the common logoHow the EU logo works and where the national registers are.
- NABP — Safe.PharmacyU.S. accreditation and a list of sites not recommended.
- FDA — BeSafeRxThe FDA's consumer programme on buying medicines online.
- GPhC — RegistersUK pharmacies and pharmacists.
- LegitScriptCross-border classification of pharmacy websites; a useful second opinion.
Counterfeits and reporting
Scale of the problem and the channels for reporting a suspect product.
- WHO — Substandard and falsified medical productsThe global fact sheet, including the 1-in-10 estimate.
- FDA MedWatchU.S. reporting of adverse events and product problems.
- MHRA Yellow CardUK reporting, including suspected falsified medicines.