Are We Really Aware of Generic Drugs: A Survey based Study

In India, people are found to be influenced by branded product from clothes to life-saving drugs. It has so powerful impact that certain medicines are found to exist with their branded name rather than being sold with their generic name. Thus, even the literate population in India suffers from the lack of awareness about the generic drugs.

A survey was conducted to assess literate population’s knowledge and opinions on the use of generic medicines. A set of questionnaire was prepared in English and Hindi language. The survey was further used to assess if the participant know about the existence of generic drugs. The survey was divided into two sections. Only those who knew about the generic drugs where further redirected to the next section where general information about generic drug was assessed.

Hey, did you hear about generic medicine ?

A total of 248 netizens responded to our survey out of which 82.5% were below 35 years of age. The respondents were further categorized based on biological/chemical science and non-biological/chemical science background. Among the respondents, 55.5% belonged to the biological/chemical science background which had higher possibility of knowing about the generic drugs. Before actually knowing if the respondent knows about generic drugs, we assessed their preference towards taking a particular drug. Surprisingly, around 12% follow TV ads for selecting a particular drug (e.g. Cough syrup or pain killer). In an another question, respondents has multiple views on choosing a prescribed medicine with 36.5% describe it based on availability of the medicine at the retail store followed by manufacturer, price and familiarity of the medicine. Around 50% of the surveyed people think that company’s reputation is responsible for the high cost of branded drugs. Rest half had equal thoughts about high quality, better therapeutic effect or the amount invested for drug development by the company. The first section of the survey was to understand the preferences and choice of the respondents towards taking prescribed drug. We further categorized the population based on knowledge about generic drugs. Around 74% of the population knew about the generic drugs. Surprisingly, around 26% of the total respondents had no idea about the generic drugs.

We created another section/set of questionnaire to assess the knowledge and opinion of the respondents who knew about generic drugs. The section II of our survey was divided into three parts to assess: (1) general knowledge about the generic drugs (2) perception towards the efficacy and quality and (3) publicity / awareness towards the generic drug. Around 65% of the respondents acknowledged the existence of law for generic medicines. According to MCI (The Medical Council of India), it mandates the doctors to prescribe the medicines by generic names as compared to the brand names in the clause 1.5 of the MCI regulations 2002. The MCI reiterated its directive in 2016 notification, however as of now, there is no legal framework to ensure this practice. This was clear from the survey that more than 50% respondents denied about their doctors/pharmacists switching from branded to generic alternatives. Around 93% of respondents were also aware about the less price of generic drug as compared to the branded version. But it is difficult to find generic drugs in pharmacies on a usual basis.

Perception towards safety and side effects

We assessed the perception of those who knew about generic drugs towards its efficacy, safety and quality. Surprisingly, around 32% of the respondents couldn’t say if the generic drugs follow FDA regulations. It is to be noted that generic drugs are approved only after a rigorous check from US FDA. Around 60% of those who knew generic drugs agreed that they are safe. Also, around 50% of the considered population said they have similar side-effects as branded medicines. However, if we compare all these three responses, we find that around 30% of the population didn’t know about regulations, safety and side-effects. These highlights lack of awareness among the respondents. It means they have heard about the generic drugs but they cannot define it properly and lack the information about it. Surprisingly, 80% of the respondents would choose a generic drug over branded ones if given a choice.

Lack of Awareness:

The lack of awareness among the citizens could be a direct result of the lack of publicity about the generic drugs by the government. This was confirmed by our survey that 73% of the respondents didn’t hear or see any ads/news regarding generic drugs followed by opinion on the poor publicity (42%) about generic drugs. Majority of the respondents (57%) themselves were not aware about the existence of generic drugs store in their city and around 85% would like to know if there are any such stores in their city. We also asked about their opinion on how one can encourage the use of generic drugs. It was found that general population is worried with level of quality control of these drugs. Secondly, the change must start from the doctors prescribing medicines with generic names rather the branded. Further, it is must for the government to educate the masses (lacking the internet facilities) about the benefits (economically) of using generic drugs.

Public Opinion and Awareness

In India, 25% of the total population lives below poverty line (Census 2011). Government of India has launched several health schemes along with the fixing the prices of “essential medicines” as it is difficult for the poor people to keep up with increasing healthcare expenditure. However, major population fall into medical poverty trap due to lack of awareness about such schemes/policies. A large number of people in the country are illiterate but even many literate people are unaware of such facilities provided by the government. Our survey on generic drugs among literate population suggests there is an insufficient knowledge among citizens in terms of definition, effectiveness of the drug and its availability. It also suggests that government lacks the initiative and publicity to promote the use of generic drugs. From our survey, we also found that people have lack of confidence in the quality of generic drugs. Hence, government must educate that generic medicines are replica of branded or patented drugs and its bioequivalence study, method of manufacturing and quality parameters are as per guideline of respective country. Further, usage of generic medicines should be encouraged as it will help to reduce the malpractice by doctors of promoting drugs of only reputed and specific companies. This is also important for a third world country like ours where many people face huge financial burden due to medical expenditures.

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