In an unpredictable and gloomy economy, everyone is trying to save money—even on prescription medications. While many pharmaceutical companies and doctors push brand-name drugs, the question remains: Do generic medications work as well as the, usually, more expensive brand-name ones? Yes, according to a new report conducted at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston.

Researchers reviewed 47 studies published during the past 24 years that tested a variety of heart medicines, such as beta-blockers, diuretics and statins. They found that that in all but three studies, there was no difference in the efficacy of generics and brand names. Ironically, half of the editorials written about the studies warned that generics should not be used.

Why the discrepancy? Authors believe that bias may play a role. They wrote, “Another possible explanation is that the conclusions may be skewed by financial relationships of editorialists with brand-name pharmaceutical companies, which are not always disclosed.”