[Quality evaluation for pharmaceutical products and medical supplies: proper use]

In the proper use of medicine, the quality of medical supplies is an important factor. Use of generic products not only reduces drug costs for the patient, but also offers substantial advantages for governments in reducing medical expenses. When evaluation of the quality of generic products is centered on tablets, products with qualities that are unstable over time may be encountered. Some dosage forms require suitable pharmaceutical tests, processes, and apparatuses, such as those for evaluating orally disintegrating tablets or cutaneous preparations. For example, although simple test equipment has been proposed for patches, a unified method is required. The pharmacist plays an important role in choosing high-quality generic products; however, a substantial amount of information needs to be made available to the public in order to achieve that goal.