Reading medicine names and labels
How to compare brands of the same generic (strength, form, maker)
Many brands contain the same active ingredient. This guide shows which registry facts you can line up side by side, what they tell you, and where comparing should stop and a professional should take over.
What "same generic" means
Two products have the same generic when the registry lists the same active ingredient (or the same combination of ingredients) for both. They can still differ in strength, dosage form and manufacturer, so the generic name alone is never enough to say two packs are the same product.
The four facts to compare
Every medicine page on this site shows these registry facts. Compare them one by one:
- Generic name: check that the full generic name matches, including every ingredient of a combination. "Paracetamol" and "Caffeine + Paracetamol" are different generics.
- Strength: the amount of active ingredient, for example 500 mg per tablet or 120 mg/5 mL for a liquid. The same generic is often registered in several strengths.
- Dosage form: tablet, capsule, syrup, suspension, injection and so on. Forms such as XR, SR or ER tablets are different forms from a plain tablet.
- Manufacturer: the company that holds the registration. Each brand is registered by its own manufacturer.
The DAR number identifies one exact registry entry. If two packs show different DAR numbers, they are different registered products, even if the brand name looks similar.
Put up to four medicines side by side on the compare page
A worked example
Suppose you have two packs whose generic is Paracetamol. Pack A says 500 mg tablet; pack B says 665 mg tablet. They share a generic but not a strength. If pack B instead said 120 mg/5 mL suspension, the dosage form would differ too. Only when generic, strength and dosage form all match are you looking at directly comparable registry entries, and even then they come from different manufacturers under different DAR numbers.
What a comparison here cannot tell you
- Prices: this site shows no prices, because none have been verified.
- Quality or effectiveness: the registry does not rank brands, and neither do we.
- Availability: whether a product is in stock at a particular pharmacy.
- Whether a product is right for you: that depends on your health, which only a doctor or pharmacist can assess.
Before you switch brands
Matching registry facts are a starting point for a conversation, not a decision. Take both packs, or their brand names and strengths, to a registered pharmacist or the doctor who prescribed the medicine, and ask whether a change is appropriate for you.
Example: all Paracetamol products in the registry snapshot
How to read medicine strength: mg, mcg, mg/mL, %
Never switch, combine or stop medicines based on a comparison alone. Ask a registered doctor or pharmacist first.
Frequently asked questions
If two brands have the same generic and strength, are they identical?
Can I compare prices of brands here?
Why does the dosage form matter when comparing?
Where do the facts on the compare page come from?
This guide is general information only and is not medical advice. It does not tell you what any medicine is for or how to take it. For questions about your health or your medicines, ask a registered doctor or pharmacist.