Nearly 90% of all medications taken in the United States are generic drugs, and roughly 80% of those are manufactured overseas in countries like China, India, and Turkey.

But it was not always this way.

Before 1984, only about 10% of prescriptions were generic, and most medications were manufactured in the United States.

So what changed?

In this episode, we break down the history of generic drugs, the 1984 Hatch Waxman Act, and how global pharmaceutical manufacturing shifted from American factories to an international supply chain.

Understanding where your medications come from, how generics are approved, and how the global drug supply works matters more than most people realize.

Because whether you know it or not, almost everyone relies on this system.