Utilisation of Generic Medicines in the Australian Healthcare System

Abstract

graduated with a Bachelors degree in pharmacy and a Masters degree in clinical pharmacy from Universiti Sains Malaysia. His research interests are in the area of clinical pharmacoeconomics, social pharmacy and the role of pharmacists in public health. Currently, he is undertaking his PhD research on the topic of generic medicine utilisation in Australia at the

A review of the differences and similarities between generic drugs and their originator counterparts, including economic benefits associated with usage of generic medicines, using Ireland as a case study

“…Other reasons given were that it was a doctor’s responsibility, not a pharmacist’s, to decide on medication and that using generics meant less money for research. There were also concerns about bioavailability, adverse reactions to generics and the need for a free enterprise environment [115]. Despite presumably greater familiarity with generic medicines, similar views were expressed by some of the doctors in the second study, which was conducted in 2002 [115].…”

“…The first study, conducted in 1995, five months after the government permitted generic substitution by pharmacists, was a national telephone survey of GPs. Out of a total of 71 GPs, 28 (39%) said ‘no’ to generics substitution, 22 (31%) said ‘yes’ to substitution and 21 (30%) were ambivalent [115]. The most common reason cited by those opposed to generics prescribing and substitution was that it would cause confusion among patients, particularly the elderly, because generic brands were often of different colours and shapes.…”

Therapeutic continuity in the treatment of psychiatric disorders

“…Anche per gli antipsicotici esistono case reports, studi retrospettivi o prospettici, più raramente randomized clinical trials in cui si è cercato di valutare se la bioequivalenza, sul piano farmacocinetico, si traducesse in effettiva equivalenza terapeutica. In linea generale i risultati di queste ricerche evidenziano la sicurezza dello switch da farmaco originale a farmaco generico, anche se non viene esclusa la possibilità, in casi specifici, della presenza di eventi avversi o di perdita di efficacia della terapia antipsicotica (29). In questi ultimi casi, sono state invocate differenze nella biodisponibilità o nei componenti inattivi tra farmaco generico e farmaco originale (29).…”

“…Per stabilire la bioequivalenza di due farmaci, si ricorre normalmente a stime indirette. Per fare ciò infatti si confronta il valore medio di alcuni parametri farmacocinetici ottenuti dalla misurazione delle concentrazioni ematiche del farmaco in un gruppo di volontari sani ai quali viene somministrata in due periodi successivi (studio cross-over) una singola dose a digiuno dei due prodotti a confronto (26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(38). In particolare vengono considerati la concentrazione sierica di picco (o concentrazione massima, C max ), il tempo impiegato per raggiungerla (T max ) e il rapporto fra le aree sotto la curva della concentrazione plasmatica (AUC) in funzione del tempo fra le due formulazioni a confronto (33).…”

Generic Medicines in Australia: Business Dynamics and Recent Policy Reform

“…Yet Australia is a high income economy with strict regulatory requirements closely monitored by drug policy analysts and the pharmaceutical industry 2 for generics also in Australia [5][6][7] . Recent assessments suggest that around 30% of PBS prescriptions are dispensed with a generic, representing around 15% of the value of sales 8 .…”