Understanding and perceptions of final-year Doctor of Pharmacy students about generic medicines in Karachi, Pakistan: a quantitative insight
General objective: To evaluate the understanding and perceptions of generic medicines among final-year Doctor of Pharmacy students in Karachi, Pakistan. Methods: A 23-item survey instrument that included a question on the bioequivalence limits and Likert-type scale questions regarding the understan...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Dovepress Medical Press
2015
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://irep.iium.edu.my/43052/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/43052/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/43052/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/43052/1/article_on_generic_medicine_perception_final_year_pharmacy_students.pdf |
| Summary: | General objective: To evaluate the understanding and perceptions of generic medicines among final-year Doctor of Pharmacy students in Karachi, Pakistan.
Methods: A 23-item survey instrument that included a question on the bioequivalence limits and Likert-type scale questions regarding the understanding and perceptions of generic medicines among the students was executed. Cronbach’s alpha was found to be 0.62.
Results: Responses were obtained from 236 final-year Doctor of Pharmacy students (n=85 from a publicly funded institute; n=151 from a privately funded institute). When comparing a brand-name medicine to a generic medicine, pharmacy students scored poorly on bioequivalence limits. More than 80% of the students incorrectly answered that all the products that are rated as generic equivalents are therapeutically equivalent to each other (P,0.04). Half of the students agreed that a generic medicine is bioequivalent to the brand-name medicine (P,0.001). With regard to quality, effectiveness, and safety, more than 75% of the students disagreed that generic medicines are of inferior quality and are less effective than brand-name medicines (P,0.001). More than 50% of the students disagreed that generic medicines produce more side effects than brand-name medicines (P,0.001).
Conclusion: The current study identified a positive perception toward generic medicines but also gaps in the understanding of generic medicines. Pharmacy students lacked a thorough understanding of the concepts of bioequivalence. Pharmacy academia should address these issues, which will help build confidence in generic medicines and increase the generic medicine |
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