The paper considers similarities and dissimilarities in the study, manufacture, and use of original drugs and their generics. The generics that are present on the Russian pharmaceutical market and available bioequivalence data are noted to be not always therapeutically equivalent to their original drugs. The published results of clinical trials of the efficacy and safety of different isotretinoin preparations are discussed. The relative low cost of generic medicines is their main and likely only advantage over original drugs, which is considered in isolation from their quality (including their efficacy and safety) can practically give rise to the higher cost of treatment.