Generic drug is defined as medication not protected by a brand name, patent or trademark.

• A. Medication protected by a brand name
• B. Medication protected by a patent
• C. Brand-name color, shape, taste
• D. Medication not protected by a brand name, patent or trademark

Answer: (D)

Generics are medicines that use the same active ingredient as a brand-name product but aren’t protected by a brand name, patent, or trademark. The idea is that there’s no exclusive branding or legal protection blocking competition, so other manufacturers can produce the same drug and offer it at a lower price. That’s why this description—medication not protected by a brand name, patent, or trademark—is the correct way to define a generic.

A drug protected by a brand name has exclusive branding, which keeps it from being sold as a generic. A patent-protected medication is not generic while the patent is in effect. Brand-name color, shape, or taste relates to appearance or trademarks, not to whether the drug is generic.