Drug Approval

"Drug companies must submit an abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) for approval to market a generic product. The Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act of 1984, commonly known as the Hatch-Waxman Act, made ANDAs possible by creating a compromise in the drug industry. Generic drug companies gained greater access to the prescription-drug market, while innovator companies gained restoration of patent life lost during the FDA approval process. New drugs are developed under patent protection, which gives the company the sole right to sell the drug while the patent is in effect. When patents or other periods of exclusivity expire, manufacturers can apply to the FDA to sell generic versions. The ANDA process does not require the sponsor to repeat costly animal and clinical research on ingredients or dosage forms already approved for safety and effectiveness. This applies to drugs first marketed after 1962. To gain FDA approval, a generic drug must contain the same active ingredients as the innovator drug, although inactive ingredients may vary; be identical in strength, dosage form, and route of administration; have the same use indications; be bioequivalent; meet the same batch requirements for identity, strength, purity, and quality; and be manufactured under the same strict FDA good manufacturing practice regulations required for innovator products."