[Branded drugs and generics: an ambiguity of choice].

: In Russia, the problem of choice between branded drugs and generics is extremely urgent because funding should be spent efficiently in conditions of strict financial restrictions. However the seeming economy in using generics which are not therapeutically equivalent to branded drugs leads to the decrease of clinical of treatment effectiveness and to the increase of treatment costs as well. The authors analyze the problem in respect to the Russian pharmaceutical market. It is concluded that the choice of the generic is reasonable if there is evidence for its therapeutic equivalence with the branded drugs. To improve the quality of medical care, one should pay special attention to the quality of generics in the market.