Reader's Question: I have been told that Fosamax is coming out in generic form. I have been taking a brand name osteoporosis drug (in the same drug class) for numerous years with good results. Should I switch?

The first thing one must understand is what exactly is a generic medication. Pharmaceutical companies spend many years developing new drugs. They may file a patent that allows them to be the only one that can produce this drug for 20 years from the date of submission (not from...