Generics are here to stay. Increasingly, your physician will prescribe them in place of the original brand, either willingly or under budgetary pressure from health authorities. How should patients react?

According to a Harris Poll in the U.S. in December 2008, nearly half of those who are willing to purchase a generic would be willing to pay up to US$10 for 30-days supply, and a further third would be willing to pay between $10 and $25 out-of-pocket. Harris Poll also asked: “If you had a choice between getting a brand name prescription drug or a generic drug, how often would you choose one over the other?” The answer was that 81% would choose a generic drug more often compared with only 19% favouring brands more often. Indeed, 40% of respondents would always choose a generic while only 4% would always prefer a brand¹.

There is a clear indication here that, in a country where the patient pays or contributes out-of-pocket to the cost of drug therapy, generics have been accepted and, being much cheaper, are widely preferred to identical branded originals. That would not have been the case twenty years ago when brand loyalty was strong and generics were still under suspicion of being ‘inferior’.

Your attitude? Common sense suggests that it will be determined on the one hand by your circumstances and on the other by your alertness. Circumstances will influence the policy of health care payers and how much you (as distinct from your insurer) will be expected to pay out of pocket if you opt for the brand instead of the generic.

Common sense will also help to convince you that, for the majority of older drugs in countries with strong regulatory control, generics will be as safe and as effective as brands. Moreover, common sense will scare you away from ‘cowboy’ generics obtainable from suspect sources (which may include unknown Internet suppliers in other countries).

Alertness is your greatest asset in making sure that cheap generics are not being prescribed in preference to better, costlier innovative drugs that would be more effective in maintaining or improving your health. There is no substitute for being vigilant and becoming more knowledgeable, or getting to know independent advisers who know about the ‘latest and best’ in a health care system that naturally gravitates towards the cheapest. Be alert!

Footnotes

[1] Harris Poll, “Substantial increase in public preference for generic over brand name drugs”, Harris Interactive, online 26th January 2009

Related article

Generics and You (Part 1): What is a generic drug?
Generics and You (Part 2): The doctor’s choice: brand or generic?
Generics and You (Part 3): In which countries are you most likely to receive a generic prescription?
Generics and You (Part 4): Are generics ‘first class’ medicine?
Generics and You (Part 5): Biosimilars
Generics and You (Part 6): The fourth question about generics