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In this paper, an overview is provided of the present Italian generic medicines system. Data on generic medicines market share and enterprise performance were reviewed and discussed, and the results of a survey completed by general practitioners (Computer Assisted Web Interview), pharmacists (Computer Assisted Web Interview) and patients (Computer Assisted Personal Interview) are presented. How potential policies on manufacturing and exports aff ect the industry in Italy are also explored. The results show that generic medicines in Italy have a lower market share than in other major European countries. This is mainly because general practitioners are uncomfortable with generic medicines companies, in particular those whose chain of production is unclear to them. A series of obstacles to diff usion of generic medicines also persists at a legislative level, such as payback and patent linkage. Manufacturing and exports in Italy could benefi t from the manufacture of generic medicines before patent expiry, which would enable exports to countries with diff erent expiry dates.

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