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ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - A new bipartisan law backed by Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff requires the Food and Drug Administration to provide clearer guidance to generic drug makers on how their products match or differ from brand-name drugs, with the goal of speeding up approvals and lowering prescription costs for patients.

The Increasing Transparency in Generic Drug Applications Act was passed as part of a government funding bill. It directs the FDA to spell out for generic drug manufacturers exactly how their products compare to brand-name counterparts — a change supporters say will accelerate the approval process and get lower-cost generics to patients faster.

The generic drug industry estimates the change could save the U.S. health care system more than $800 million over 10 years.

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