Comparative effectiveness of generic and brand-name medication use: A database study of US health insurance claims

To the extent that outcomes are mediated through negative perceptions of generics (the nocebo effect), observational studies comparing brand-name and generic drugs are susceptible to bias favoring the brand-name drugs. We used authorized generic (AG) products, which are identical in composition and appearance to brand-name products but are marketed as generics. Desai RJ et al. (2019) Comparative effectiveness of generic and brand-name medication use: A database study of US health insurance claims. PLoS Med. 16(3): e1002763. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1002763.