What Is the Difference Between a Biosimilar and a Generic Drug?

Biosimilars vs. Generics

A biosimilar is a biologic product that—as the name implies—is similar to its reference product. Because of a biologic’s complexity, it is not possible to synthesize identical biosimilars that are identical copies of their associated reference products. 

A generic drug, on the other hand, is a chemically-synthesized product that is the same as a brand-name drug in terms of dosage of active pharmaceutical ingredients, safety, route of administration, quality, performance, and intended use.