PERCEPTION OF QUALIFIED MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS TOWARD PRESCRIBING IN INTERNATIONAL NON-PROPRIETARY (GENERIC) NAMES -AN OBSERVATIONAL, CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY AT A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL IN INDIA (original) (raw)
Related papers
National Journal of Physiology, Pharmacy and Pharmacology, 2017
Background: Generic prescribing is still a contentious issue among prescribers, and the issues of bioequivalence, quality, and safety remain problem areas. Generic substitution of brand medicines is an accepted practice in many parts of the world, and this is often done for economic reasons. Aims and Objective: The aim and objective of this study was to assess the attitude of clinicians and postgraduate students regarding generic drugs and branded drugs. Materials and Methods: The present study was a questionnaire-based, cross-sectional study conducted among clinicians and postgraduate students at NRIMC and SMC, Vijayawada. Assurance of confidentiality (informed consent) was also taken from the participants. After approval and clearance from the Institutional Ethics Committee, 75 participants were included into the study by the investigator. After explaining about the nature and purpose of the study, the study participants were interviewed using structured questionnaire to assess the awareness about the generic drugs and to determine the attitude and practice toward generic drugs. The appropriate instructions about filling questionnaire were given. Analysis was performed and the data were expressed in n (%). Results: In the present study, 87.7% of the clinicians and postgraduates were aware of generic drugs. Most doctors believed that generics are therapeutically (59.6%) and safety wise (71.9%) equivalent to branded drugs, 89.5% are of the opinion that generics are cheaper than branded ones. Nearly 59.6% of them were aware of Jan Aushadhi pharmacy. Conclusion: A very good percentage of doctors were aware of generic medicines, their attitude toward safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness of generic medicines was good and majority of them said that they prescribe generic drugs. However, there was a meaningful proportion who expressed their concern about the quality and efficacy of generic drugs. These beliefs could hinder larger generic drug use and increase health-care expenses of patients with chronic illness. Proper awareness in physicians about the generic prescription practice may improve the patient compliance by reducing the economic burden to the patients.
Generic Drug: Prescriber’s Perspective
International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Objective: Knowledge of doctors and their understanding of generic drugs could facilitate in recognizing potential barriers to larger generic medicine prescriptions. Hence, the primary objective of this study was focused to explore knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of doctors toward generic medicines. Methods: It is a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study. The study participants are the doctors working in the hospital during the study period (2016–2017). The questionnaire designed for this study comprised of thirty-five questions related to the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of generic medicine and about demographic details of the participants. Results: A total of 86 questionnaires were distributed among the health care professionals and the response rate is 37%. The majority of doctors who participated in this survey perceived that generic medicine is effective, safe and need to have the same active component, dose and bioequivalent as the brand name medicines. M...
Patients Opinion on the use of Generics and Factors Associated with it: A Cross-Sectional Study
Journal of Young Pharmacists
Background: Generic drugs (Generics) are low cost, equal efficacy alternatives to the branded drugs. Generics are medicines on which patents have expired. They are sold either as branded products or as unbranded products under generic names. These generic names are internationally agreed short names called International Non-Proprietary Names. Due to its low cost, it reduces the overall expenditure for patient care. Government of India (GOI) has been pushing to increase the prescription practice of doctors for generics and acceptability of generic in the community. Present study assesses the current opinion of patients about the generics and documents factors affecting the knowledge, perception and opinion about the generics. Objectives: Present study was designed to investigate about the opinion of patients about the generics and to document different factors associated with their perceptions. Materials and Methods: A pre-validated pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect the data from patients attending various outpatients in a Tertiary Care hospital in Jodhpur. Trained Research Associate visited various Out Patient Department (OPD) of different specialties for two consecutive days to seek consent and collected data from the patients visiting the OPD and consented to participate. Patient's knowledge, prior experience of use and general opinion about the generics was gathered. Descriptive statistics was used in the form of frequency and percentages. Results: Out of the 643 patients, 147 (22.9%) had heard about the generics. Out of the different sociodemographic predictors, age with a class intervals 45 years-55 years (OR-2.52), 55 years-65 years (OR-3.26) and > 65 years (OR-3.09) and educational qualifications namely higher secondary (OR-3.07) and graduation (OR-5.98) were found to be the statistically significant predictors for the opinion on generics; however, gender, marital status, family income and occupation were not significant statistically. Out of the 147 patients who had heard about the generics only 38% had used them in last six months, 65.8% agreed that generics are safe and 36.7% opined that generics are as effective as branded drugs. Around 44% of the patients disagreed that generics have more side effects. On inquiring about the most common reason for no usage of the generic drug, distrust on the efficacy was found to be the most common one. Conclusion: Majority of patients had never heard about the generic drugs. Age and Education were the positive predictors for better awareness about the generic drugs. Patients perception for generics can be changed with better advocacy as well as informed prescription by the treating physicians.
Quality of generic medicines in South Africa: Perceptions versus Reality – A qualitative study
BMC Health Services Research, 2012
Background: Generic Medicines are an important policy option allowing for access to affordable, essential medicines. Quality of generic medicines must be guaranteed through the activities of national medicines regulatory authorities. Existing negative perceptions surrounding the quality of generic medicines must be addressed to ensure that people use them with confidence. Campaigns to increase the uptake of generic medicines by consumers and providers of healthcare need to be informed by local norms and practices. This study sought to compare South African consumers' and healthcare providers' perceptions of quality of generics to the actual quality of selected products. Methods: The study was conducted at the local level in three cities of South Africa: Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. Purposive sampling was used to recruit consumer participants (n = 73) and random sampling used to recruit healthcare providers from public and private sectors (n = 15). Data were obtained through twelve focus group discussions with consumers and semi-structured interviews (n = 15) with healthcare providers in order to gain familiarity with perceptions of quality. One hundred and thirty five products comprising paracetamol tablets (n = 47), amoxicillin capsules (n = 45) and hydrochlorothiazide tablets (n = 43) were sourced from public and private sector healthcare providers. These products were subjected to in vitro dissolution, uniformity of weight and identity (Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy) tests using prescribed methods from the British (2005) and United States Pharmacopeias (2006). Results: Respondents described drug quality in relation to the effect on symptoms. Procurement and use behavior of healthcare providers was influenced by prior experience, manufacturers' names and consumers' ability to pay. All formulations passed the in vitro tests for quality. Conclusions: This study showed clear differences between perceptions of quality and actual quality of medicines suggesting deficiencies in public engagement by government regarding the implementation of generic medicines policy. Implementation of generic medicines policy requires the involvement of consumers and healthcare providers to specifically address their information gaps and needs.
Generic Medicine and Prescribing: A Quick Assessment
Advances in Human Biology, 2017
Generic drugs are copies of brand-name drugs that have exactly the same dosage, intended use, effects, side effects, route of administration, risks, safety, and strength as the original drug. In other words, their pharmacological effects are exactly the same as those of their brand-name counterparts. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) describes that generic drugs are essential possibilities that allow better access to healthcare for all Americans. They are replicas of brand-name drugs and are the identical as those of brand-name drugs in dosage form, safety, strength, route of administration, quality, performance features, and anticipated to use. Healthcare authorities and users can be guaranteed that FDA-approved generic drug products have met the same stiff principles as the innovator drug. The company that made Bayer aspirin fought in court enthusiastically to keep generic versions off the shelves, in the 1920s. The company lost in court, and consumers suddenly had an array of choices in generic aspirin. The Supreme Court of India uttering ‘the Supreme Court’s ruling will prevent companies from further seeking unwarranted patents on HIV and other essential medicines.’ Generic medicine cannot be sold at a price higher than the branded medicine, so it is regularly a low-priced option. Thereafter, both the end user and the government who pay for part of the price of the medicine under the Pharmaceutical Benefts Scheme in Australia are beneftted. The treatment of diseases using essential drugs, prescribed by their generic names, has been emphasised by the WHO and many national health policies. Although there are some improvements in generic medicine prescribing, it has been advised by the WHO that ‘countries should intensify efforts to measure and regularly monitor medicine prices and availability, and adopt policy measures to address the issues identifed.
International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences, 2018
Background: The assessment of doctors’ perceptions and understanding about generic medicines may help in recognizing the key areas which may act as hurdle to mass scale use of generics. The primary objective of this study was to explore the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of doctors toward generic medicines.Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out using a pretested questionnaire in a tertiary care teaching hospital of Jammu (J and K). The questionnaire was designed to assess the KAP about generic medicines. The doctors working in this institute during the study period were included. Data was compiled and analysed using online website, http://www.graphpad.com. P-values of < 0.05 were considered to indicate statistical significance.Results: A 62.9% doctors agreed to the fact that generic medicines were intended to be interchangeable with a branded drug (p=0.0139). Among the doctors, 77.5% were aware that generic drug manufacturers need to conduct studies to show bio...
An Exploratory Study of Generic Medicines in Urban Central Gujarat Region
A questionnaire based survey study was conducted to understand the perception about the generic medicines in medical practitioner's mind of urban Madhya Gujarat region precisely Vadodara, Dahod and Godhra. It was a questionnaire based study intended to understand exactly what medical practitioner thinks about generic medicines i.e. efficacy, quality, safety, availability, etc. The results of the study show that the doctors are not so clear and confident about these aspects regarding generic medicines. It was presumed by many doctors that generic medicines are inferior in quality than branded ones. Majority of doctors agreed upon the affordability issue when we talk about medicines. It was found that the doctors had lack of proper knowledge and awareness about generic medicines. In a country like India where you have out-of-pocket expenditure on healthcare so high it is the urgent need of the hour to decrease it. Generic medicines are one of the most effective tools for that purpose. Creating awareness about generic medicines among the medical fraternity about generic medicines was felt necessary. Educational programs, Seminars and campaigns from the state side as well as from the generic medicine producer companies' side can be helpful for clearing doubts or myths about generic medicines among doctors. This very effort can really help to create a consensus for 'writing prescription by generic name only rule' for private medical practitioners also.
Health Policy, 2010
Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the general practitioners' (GPs') knowledge and perceptions towards generic medicines in a northern state of Malaysia. Method: A postal cross-sectional survey involving registered GPs in Penang, Malaysia was undertaken. A 23-item questionnaire was developed, validated and administered on the GPs. Eighty-seven GPs responded to the survey (response rate 26.8%). Results: The majority of the respondents (85.1%) claimed that they actively prescribed generic medicines in their practice. On the other hand, only 4.6% of the respondents correctly identified the Malaysia's National Pharmaceutical Control Bureau's bioequivalence standard for generic products. There were misconceptions among the respondents about the concepts of "bioequivalence", "efficacy", "safety", and "manufacturing standards" of generic medicines. GPs in this survey believed that a standard guideline on brand substitution process, collaboration with pharmacists, patient education and information on safety and efficacy of generic medicines were necessary to ensure quality use of generics. Furthermore, advertisements and product bonuses offered by pharmaceutical companies, patient's socio-economic factors as well as credibility of manufacturers were factors reported to influence their choice of medicine. Conclusion: Although it appeared that GPs have largely accepted the use of generic medicines, they still have concerns regarding the reliability and quality of such products. GPs need to be educated and reassured about generic products approval system in Malaysia concerning bioequivalence, quality, and safety. The current findings have important implications in establishing generic medicines policy in Malaysia.
GENERIC PRESCRIPTION IN INDIA -A REVIEW
Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Research, 2020
In India, a Generic drug plays a major role where most of the people afford and depend on it, due to the budget-friendly and easily available widely. However, some of the pharmaceutical manufacturer’s license was terminated due to the unsold or banned products of branded drugs, which are manufactured in USFDA as small plants, were manufactured in India without the approval. There were many misconceptions with the manufacturers, for following the right strategy to bring generic medications, clearing data integrity issues, sales, and marketing aspects of drugs for the successful outcome. India has also been subject to increasing inspections by global regulatory bodies in recent times. There has been an increase in enforcement actions taken by regulatory bodies for cases related to data integrity. From this review, it concluded that what are the current trends involved in the generic drugs and their category based on the license, impact, and issues involved and also provides the recommendations to be followed to prevent further issues in the future.