Branded vs. Generic drugs: the role of self-perceived seriousness of disease

Abstract

Purpose This study aims at exploring the role of perceived disease seriousness in consumers’ preference for generic versus branded drugs, by shedding light on new factors impacting consumer purchase behaviour for pharmaceutical products. Design/methodology/approach An exploratory study based on a quantitative analysis has been conducted with a sample of 100 participants who have been presented with two different scenarios: one related to more serious disease (as in cardiological disease) and one related to less serious disease (as in the seasonal flu). This paper considered Italy as a research setting where the recent mandatory prescription of the active ingredient by doctors leaves the final purchase decision in consumers’ hands Findings Results show that, although consumers are free to choose whether to buy a branded or a generic prescribed active ingredient, their choice is mainly driven by the role of the brand. Consumers’ intention to buy generic drugs is higher in the case of diseases perceived as less serious, while the intention to buy branded drugs is higher in the case of disease perceived as more serious. Originality/value This study contributes to marketing research and practice by proposing that consumers’ perceived seriousness of their disease should be considered as a further factor in identifying new marketing strategies in those contexts in which the choice between branded or generic drugs is free.

Clinical outcomes of generic versus brand‐name clopidogrel for secondary prevention in patients with acute myocardial infarction: A nationwide cohort study

“…Patients also tend to choose brand‐name medications over generic medications as they do not consider generic medications to be equivalent to their brand‐name counterparts, and believe that brand‐name medications have fewer side effects 46–48 . A general perception that cheaper drugs means lower quality has also been reported among patients, 49 and that patients are more accepting of generics for the treatment of minor illnesses but prefer branded medicines for serious health problems 47,50,51 …”

“… 46 , 47 , 48 A general perception that cheaper drugs means lower quality has also been reported among patients, 49 and that patients are more accepting of generics for the treatment of minor illnesses but prefer branded medicines for serious health problems. 47 , 50 , 51 …”

Supply Chain Resilience in the Pharmaceutical Industry: A Qualitative Analysis from Scholarly and Managerial Perspectives

“…To date, according to Ding (2018), providing a broad access to medicines and drugs is one of the primary goals for PSCs: Even if medicines and generally drugs may be categorized as commodities, they have special attributes given their value for society, that is helping patients to recover from a disease, sometimes also on the basis of solid perceptions of drugs' brands (Sestino & Amatulli, 2021). Historically, pharmaceutical industries and SCs have been more inclined to mass production, rather than continuous production (Stagemann, 2016) resulting in a rigid structure in which redundancies have been crucial to satisfy demand for products in a sort of "push" logic (Herwig, 2017).…”

A comprehensive review addressing the factors influencing generic drug substitution

“…Pharmaceutical companies can introduce generic drugs after the patent for a brand-name drug has expired. 1,3 The generic manufacturer must demonstrate to the regulatory agency that the generic drug is bioequivalent to the brand-name drug, meaning it has the same therapeutic effect in the body. 3 Once the generic drug is approved, it can be marketed and sold to consumers.…”