A generic drug is generally cheaper than its original because the research costs associated with its development are less or non-existent. However, it is common for firms that market original drugs to align their prices with those of generic drugs, and that makes no difference to you. Your pharmacist may substitute the drug (s) listed on the prescription by your doctor, with generic medicines, where possible. He must then choose a drug belonging to the same generic group by referring to the "Generic Drug Directory", published and updated by the National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM), which allows him to substitute safely. Pharmacists have been encouraged since 2006 to substitute generic medicines for generic medicines under the national agreement between the Health Insurance and pharmacists. The name of the generic drug is often the same as that of the molecule (the active ingredient) it contains, with the name of the laboratory and dosage. The name of the molecule is expressed in the International Nonproprietary Name (INN), a language common to healthcare professionals worldwide (unlike brand names that may change from one country to another and are chosen by laboratories). This denomination is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO). The level of quality required for a generic drugs such as those sold by BM Pharmacy are the same as for an originating drug. This is why all laboratories are subject to the same controls and requirements: authorization of activity, evaluation of dossiers. Thus, manufacturers of medicines (of origin or generics) are regularly inspected. Each year, inspectors of the National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM) carry out approximately 200 inspections of pharmaceutical establishments (manufacturers, operators, distributors of medicines) which show no difference in the quality of manufacture of Medicines and generic medicines.