The halving of the time period required for a generic product to become a reference product to three months after the expiration of the patent is also likely to boost competition. Mandating the substitution of prescribed drugs by the lowest-priced bioequivalent and substitutable products and allowing monthly price changes has been largely successful in Sweden (Moi'se and Docteur, 2007). Another policy to encourage the use of generics is to require physicians to prescribe the international non-proprietary name for an active substance, rather than the brand name.