Often when you get a prescription filled the pharmacy, staff will ask if you would like a ‘generic’ medicine or ‘less expensive brand’.

A generic medicine is a medicine which contains the same active ingredient as the original brand, and will work in exactly the same way as the original. Generics are equally effective and meet the same quality, safety and performance standards as the original brand.

The upside to generics is that they are generally less expensive for everyone, including the Government, as the manufacturer spends less on advertising and promoting the medicine than the original brand company. The savings can be passed along to you in the form of lower prices.

• The NPS Medicine Wise>Generic medicine brands