<P> In most cases, generic products become available after the patent protections afforded to a drug's original developer expire . Once generic drugs enter the market, competition often leads to substantially lower prices for both the original brand - name product and its generic equivalents . In most countries, patents give 20 years of protection . However, many countries and regions, such as the European Union and the United States, may grant up to five years of additional protection ("patent term restoration") if manufacturers meet specific goals, such as conducting clinical trials for pediatric patients . Manufacturers, wholesalers, insurers, and drugstores can each increase prices at various stages of production and distribution . </P> <P> In 2014, according to an analysis by the Generic Pharmaceutical Association, generic drugs accounted for 88% of the 4.3 billion prescriptions filled in the United States . </P> <P> Generic drug names are constructed using standardized affixes that distinguish drugs between and within classes and suggest their action . </P> <P> When a pharmaceutical company first markets a drug, it is usually under a patent that, until it expires, the company can use to exclude competitors by suing them for patent infringement . Pharmaceutical companies that develop new drugs generally only invest in drug candidates with strong patent protection as a strategy to recoup their costs to develop the drug (include the costs of the drug candidates that fail) and to make a profit . The average cost to a brand - name company of discovering, testing, and obtaining regulatory approval for a new drug, with a new chemical entity, was estimated to be as much as $800 million in 2003 and $2.6 billion in 2014 . Drug companies that bring new products have several product line extension strategies they use to extend their exclusivity, some of which are seen as gaming the system and referred to by critics as "evergreening", but at some point there is no patent protection available . For as long as a drug patent lasts, a brand - name company enjoys a period of market exclusivity, or monopoly, in which the company is able to set the price of the drug at a level that maximizes profit . This profit often greatly exceeds the development and production costs of the drug, allowing the company to offset the cost of research and development of other drugs that are not profitable or do not pass clinical trials . </P>

Where does the generic name of a drug come from
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