About GPhA

Is a generic version of your prescription medicine available? There are two easy ways to find out.

First, you can check the FDA's online information (Drugs@FDA), which lists all of the brand and generic prescription medicines and certain over-the-counter medicines that have been approved for use. To help you use the FDA's information, we've created a step-by-step guide that you can follow by printing it out. If you are comfortable with using computers or are familiar with pharmaceutical terms, you can go directly to the FDA web site or follow the FDA's shorter guide.

• Instructions: Searching by Alphabetical List of Drug Names [.pdf]
• FDA Instructions
• Visit Drugs@FDA, the FDA's online drug information resource

Second, you can check to see whether your medicine is on the FDA's list of recently approved generics. To make it easier for you to find your medicine, you can check this list using the brand name. The information is provided by the FDA and only includes generic drugs that have been approved within the previous three months. If you do not see your medicine in this list, check the FDA database by clicking on the link above.

• View the list of recently approved drugs.

Please note: even if the FDA has approved a generic medicine, there may be a lag time between FDA approval and when the medicine reaches your pharmacy's shelves.