Document Detail


A survey exploring knowledge and perceptions of general practitioners towards the use of generic medicines in the northern state of Malaysia.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  20044165     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to evaluate the general practitioners' (GPs') knowledge and perceptions towards generic medicines in a northern state of Malaysia. METHOD: A postal cross-sectional survey involving registered GPs in Penang, Malaysia was undertaken. A 23-item questionnaire was developed, validated and administered on the GPs. Eighty-seven GPs responded to the survey (response rate 26.8%). RESULTS: The majority of the respondents (85.1%) claimed that they actively prescribed generic medicines in their practice. On the other hand, only 4.6% of the respondents correctly identified the Malaysia's National Pharmaceutical Control Bureau's bioequivalence standard for generic products. There were misconceptions among the respondents about the concepts of "bioequivalence", "efficacy", "safety", and "manufacturing standards" of generic medicines. GPs in this survey believed that a standard guideline on brand substitution process, collaboration with pharmacists, patient education and information on safety and efficacy of generic medicines were necessary to ensure quality use of generics. Furthermore, advertisements and product bonuses offered by pharmaceutical companies, patient's socio-economic factors as well as credibility of manufacturers were factors reported to influence their choice of medicine. CONCLUSION: Although it appeared that GPs have largely accepted the use of generic medicines, they still have concerns regarding the reliability and quality of such products. GPs need to be educated and reassured about generic products approval system in Malaysia concerning bioequivalence, quality, and safety. The current findings have important implications in establishing generic medicines policy in Malaysia.
Authors:
Gin Nie Chua; Mohamed Azmi Hassali; Asrul Akmal Shafie; Ahmed Awaisu
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article     Date:  2009-12-30
Journal Detail:
Title:  Health policy (Amsterdam, Netherlands)     Volume:  95     ISSN:  1872-6054     ISO Abbreviation:  Health Policy     Publication Date:  2010 May 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2010-04-07     Completed Date:  2010-07-06     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  8409431     Medline TA:  Health Policy     Country:  Ireland    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  229-35     Citation Subset:  H    
Copyright Information:
Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Affiliation:
Discipline of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Minden, Penang, Malaysia.
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Adult
Aged
Attitude of Health Personnel*
Cross-Sectional Studies
Drug Prescriptions / statistics & numerical data*
Drug Utilization / statistics & numerical data
Drug and Narcotic Control
Drugs, Generic / economics,  supply & distribution,  therapeutic use*
Female
Health Care Surveys
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*
Health Services Needs and Demand
Humans
Malaysia
Male
Middle Aged
Physician's Practice Patterns / statistics & numerical data*
Physicians, Family* / education,  psychology,  statistics & numerical data
Questionnaires
Safety
Therapeutic Equivalency
Chemical
Reg. No./Substance:
0/Drugs, Generic

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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