The FDA has insisted for years that generic drugs are identical to their brand-name counterparts. Physician and medical historian Jeremy Greene writes: “Generic drugs never wereÑand still are notÑexactly the same as their brand-name counterparts, but they are similar in ways we deem to be important.”

We discuss the value of generic drugs and the questions surrounding quality control with Dr. Greene. Your questions and stories are welcome at 888-472-3366 or email [email protected] between 7 and 8 am EDT.

Guest: Jeremy A. Greene, M.D., Ph.D., is associate professor of medicine and the history of medicine and the Elizabeth Treide and A. McGehee Harvey Chair in the History of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is the author of Prescribing by Numbers: Drugs and the Definition of Disease and coeditor of Prescribed: Writing, Filling, Using, and Abusing the Prescription in Modern America, both published by Johns Hopkins. Dr. Greene’s most recent book is Generic: The Unbranding of Modern Medicine.