No, it has nothing to do with the quality. When a formula for a medication is discovered and then approved, the pharmaceutical company that invented the formula will patent it in order to maintain a monopoly in the market so they can recoup development costs. The patent has an expiry date after which generic manufacturers can simply start producing the medications without investing in research and development. As a result, generic manufacturers are able to provide the same quality of medication at cheaper prices under generic brand names because they don’t have to recover the cost of research and development. Another fact worth mentioning is that in some countries, the patents may not apply. For instance, in India most patents maintained by pharmaceutical manufacturers do not apply, which allows the country to produce generic brands for any types of medication. As a result, many medications today have generic brands that are available under different names and different medication forms (tablets, liquids, colour etc.). Needless to say, branded and generic medications will have the same effectiveness as long as they are used properly.