Knowledge and perception of senior year pharmacy students about generic medicines in public Universities of Malaysia

Abstract

Objective:The aims of this study were to evaluate senior year pharmacy students' perceptions of and knowledge about generic medicines and generic substitution and to explore factors influencing these students' future generic substitution practices. Materials and Methods:The study was conducted among third year pharmacy students studying at five public pharmacy schools located in Malaysia. A pre-validated self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. The questionnaire was distributed via collaborating lecturers at their respective universities after a normal class session and recollected on the same day. In addition to the descriptive analysis, inferential statistics were used to determine the association among study variables. SPSS v 17.0 was used for data analysis. Results: A total of 364 students from five different universities offering pharmacy course in Malaysia responded to the survey. Females subjugated the group (n=284, 78.0%) with mean age being 24.48±0.97 years. In response to the regulatory limits for the ratio of the areas under the plasma drug concentration versus time curves and the maximum plasma drug concentrations, only 11 (3.0%) of the respondents correctly identified the regulatory limits. Students reported mixed perceptions towards the efficacy, safety and comparability of generic medicines. Major limitations were seen whereby participants demanded more information towards safety issues of generic medicines hence reported lack of confidence in their ability of brand switching. Majority of the respondents insisted that they require additional information of bioequivalence testing were in favor that an audio/visual educational package will help them in understanding the concepts of bioequivalence and bioavailability in a much progressive manner. Conclusion: The findings highlight that pharmacy students needs a better understanding of the principles and concepts of bioavailability and bioequivalence if they are to contribute appropriately to generic medicine use.

Exploring the Knowledge and Perception of Generic Medicines among Final Year Undergraduate Medical, Pharmacy, and Nursing Students in Sierra Leone: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Approach

“…The overwhelming agreement by all final year undergraduate students in the three faculties that they needed more information on the quality and safety of generic medicines and that their healthcare training should include courses on national drug policy, essential medicine lists, and rational medicine use is a confirmation of their deficiency in knowledge and misconceptions about generic medicines. The use of an audio–visual educational package advocated in a Malaysian study [ 24 ] is also recommended to be adopted in the healthcare training institutions of Sierra Leone, as it is expected to critically appraise students about generics and their promotion in professional practice. Other educational interventions could include an interactive lecture that specifically covers topics such as bioequivalence, regulatory requirements for market authorization of generic medicine in Sierra Leone, generic medicine facts, and the promotion of rational prescribing and dispensing using generic medicines [ 25 ].…”

Medical and Pharmacy Students’ Perceptions Regarding Generic Medicines in Yemen

“…The result in this study agreed with the finding reported by previous studies. [11][12] Moreover, Siam et al reported that there was a significant difference among pharmacy and medical students regarding knowledge of generic medicine in Bangladesh. [4] In contrast, a study conducted by Basak and Sathyanarayana in India showed that many of the pharmacists and drug retailers have misconception regarding generic medicines, and they lack enough knowledge about generic substitution, even if the prescribed medicines are not available.…”

The need to incorporate generic medicines topic in the curriculum of Yemeni pharmacy colleges

“…In fact, the current literature suggests that pharmacy students have inadequate knowledge of generic medicines in several countries including Malaysia, Australia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. [12][13][14][15][16] Therefore, the colleges of pharmacy in Yemen need to ensure that generic medicines are adequately covered in the pharmacy curriculum to prepare the future pharmacy practitioners with appropriate knowledge pertaining generic medicines, generic substitution, bioequivalence, bioavailability and related topics.…”