When a patent of a pharmaceutical product has expired, other pharmaceutical companies could manufacture drugs that contain the same active pharmaceutical ingredient. Under the Pharmacy and Poisons Regulations, all pharmaceutical products including generic drugs must be registered with the Pharmacy and Poisons Board of Hong Kong before they can be sold or distributed. During registration,the Department of Health would examine the investigation reports concerning the “bioavailability” and “bioequivalence” of generic drugs.
Examples of brand-name and generic drugs:
Crestor
Brand Name: Crestor
Chemical Name / Drug Name: Rosuvastatin