Physician and pharmacist perceptions of generic medicines: what they think and how they differ

This study is the first comparative assessment, internationally, of perceptions of generic medicines between general practitioners (GPs) and pharmacists in at least the last decade.

One-to-one semi-structured interviews were performed with 34 GPs and 44 community pharmacists in Ireland. Interviews were transcribed and qualitative analyses were performed using NVivo (version 9).

GPs expressed more negative opinions than pharmacists. 94.1% of GPs and 88.6% of pharmacists reported receiving complaints from patients related to generics. 11.8% of GPs versus 2.3% of pharmacists believed generics do not work as well as originators. More than twice as many GPs (14.7%) as pharmacists (6.8%) expressed a preference for the originator medication. Participants believed that most negative experiences reported by patients (with generic medicines) were not actual but imagined/nocebo.

Education of stakeholders is a requirement for increased usage of generics. Resources to facilitate healthcare professionals in educating patients are needed. GPs' opinions could negatively influence patient opinions; countering these opinions may prove important for successful influencing of patient perceptions.