Patients attitudes towards experience with use of generics in Slovakia, performance of generic substitution

Generic substitution of branded pharmaceuticals is a widely adopted tool among payers to achieve cost savings. The adoption and safe use of generics among consumers is predicated upon their knowledge of and attitudes toward these products.

The aims of this study were to assess patients' attitudes towards generic drugs and their experience with using generics, identify factors associated with differences in attitudes and/or experience, and discern the rate of generic substitution in Slovakia.

Two thousand questionnaires were distributed to patients via pharmacies throughout Slovakia by eleven pharmaceutical companies representing GENAS (the Slovak Generic Association). Responses were received from 1,777 persons (88.85% response rate). Demographic information of respondents was also acquired.

Only 33.8% (600/1773) of respondents care to know about the product which they are using. Over one half (61.1%, 1084/1774) of respondents indicated no distrust in using generics, with many of them indicating a preference for a product with a lower co-payment.

About 1/3 of patients care to know whether they are using generic or branded pharmaceuticals. If there is a lack of information about generics, this could inhibit the use of generics by patients and discern a rate of generic substitution (Tab. 3, Fig. 1, Ref. 18).