Knowledge, attitude, and practice of pharmacy professionals on generic medicines in Eastern Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background Generic medicines are similar to innovator medicine in terms of safety, quality, efficacy, dosage form, strength, and route of administration. They have the same therapeutic use to innovator medicines and available at a far lower price. However, health professionals' poor knowledge and attitude may limit its utilization. The present study aimed at assessing the knowledge, attitude, and practice of pharmacy professionals towards generic medicines in Harar city, Eastern Ethiopia. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among community pharmacists in Harar city. A self-administered thirty-three item questionnaire on Knowledge, attitude, and practice of community pharmacists was utilized. Logistic regression analysis was performed to predict the determinants of knowledge and attitude of pharmacists. An odds ratio at 95% confidence interval along with a p-value < 0.05 was considered significant. Results Among 80 community pharmacists’ approached, 74 completed the survey, providing a response rate of 92.5%. Sixty-seven percent of the respondents knew that generic drugs are bioequivalent to brand drugs and claimed generic medicines are cheaper (86.5%). Nearly half (48.6%) of participants believe that generic medicines are less effective and slower in the onset of action (58.1%). More than half (54.1%) of study participants revealed their lack of belief in generic medicine as a factor hindering the selection and dispensing of generic medicines. In multivariate logistic regression, experience in community pharmacy practice (Adjusted odds ratio (AOR = 2.18, 95%CI: 1.21–63.1) and Sex (AOR = 3.88, 95%CI: 2.12–39.62) were significantly associated with knowledge and attitude toward generic medicines, respectively. Conclusion The current study revealed that there is a gap in the knowledge and attitude of community pharmacists towards generic and brand drugs. More than averages of the respondents have known the concept of generic medicine including their right to perform generic substitution and had a positive attitude toward generics. Female pharmacists were more likely to have a positive attitude and the overall knowledge was higher in those who have more than 5 years of work experience.

Assessment of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Factors Influencing the Selection Student of Generic Medicine

“…In this study, ~65% of the students agreed that generic products are similar in efficacy, quality, and safety compared to the original branded products. These findings were in line with earlier studies from Ethiopia (67%) ( 20 ), but higher than the findings of James et al (55%) ( 21 ), Belay et al (52.9%) ( 22 ), Toklu et al (46.1%) ( 23 ), and Al Hussain et al (42.2%) ( 24 ). However, our results were still lower than earlier studies by Grover et al (70%) and Wajid et al (72.2%) among community pharmacists ( 3 , 25 ).…”

“…In this study, ∼65% of the students agreed that generic products are similar in efficacy, quality, and safety compared to the original branded products. These findings were in line with earlier studies from Ethiopia (67%) (20) (3,25). One study among Yemeni pharmacy students from private universities revealed that students perceived generic medicines to be inferior and less effective and, thus, could lead to more side effects compared with branded medicines (14).…”

Awareness among Pharmacy Students about Generic Medicines: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Pharmacists play an important role in providing direct patient care by promising the rational use of medicine and promoting cost-effective generic medication use. 1 Pharmacists also play a role in prescribing and delivering pharmaceutical care services, due to which they are involved in patient care. Since pharmacists are considered well-versed with drugs, they are experts in resolving, recognizing, and preventing drug-related problems.…”

Knowledge and Perception of Pharmacy Students about Generic Medicine in India: Web-based Cross-sectional Study

“…To meet drug demand and reduce budgetary expenditure on drugs, the marketing of generic medicines is a viable alternative that is 20% to 90% less expensive than the brand-name counterpart. 3,4 The pharmacist is critical for generic medicine promotion because they are directly involved in the formulation and dispensing of the medication. Pharmacists' clinical activities have advanced significantly over the last decade to ensure the appropriate and economical use of medications.…”

“…Pharmacists' clinical activities have advanced significantly over the last decade to ensure the appropriate and economical use of medications. 4 However, successful generic medicine utilization is only achievable when pharmacists receive proper training in generic drugs as part of their degrees. In India, a variety of pharmacy degrees are available, including the Diploma in Pharmacy (D.Pharm), the Bachelor of Pharmacy (B.Pharm), the Master of Pharmacy (M.Pharm), the Master of Science in Pharmacy [MS (Pharm)], and the Master of Technology in Pharmacy [MTech (Pharm)], as well as the Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D) and doctor of philosophy in pharmacy (PhD).…”