Why it costs less

An equivalent medicine costs less in comparison to the original because the costs of research have been recovered during the period in which the product was under patent. It is well known that to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of a new medicine it is necessary to test the product on hundreds or even thousands of subjects. Such testing takes months and has high costs. On the contrary, a company that produces and markets an equivalent medicine does not have to prove its therapeutic efficacy: if its active ingredient reaches the same blood levels as those obtained with the original medicine (i.e. if it is bioequivalent) it therefore has the same therapeutic efficacy. Demonstrating bioequivalence to a medicine that is known to be safe and effective requires much less time and greatly reduced costs, and so the equivalent medicine can be marketed at lower price.