What is a Generic in Canada? Health Canada (the Canadian regulatory board) evaluates every Canadian generic for their safety, effectiveness, and quality. Every generic used in Canada has the same medical ingredients as their brand name counterpart and is considered bioequivalent to the brand name medication. The quality standards for brand name drugs and generic drugs are the same. All of the ingredients, facilities, and manufacturing processes must meet Canadian federal guidelines for Good Manufacturing Practices. In addition, Canadian generic manufacturers must perform 'comparative bioavailability' studies to demonstrate that their generic products deliver the same amount of medicinal ingredient at the same rate as the brand name medication. Nearly 45% of all prescriptions filled in Canada use generic medication and some hospitals exclusively use generic drugs. For more information, please visit  http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/iyh-vsv/med/med-gen-eng.php