Table 4 Participant pharmacists’ attitudes on generic medicine in Palestine (n = 302)
Attitudinal item | Strongly agree N (%) | Agree N (%) | Neutral N (%) | Disagree N (%) | Strongly disagree N (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. I support generic substitution for brand name drugs in all cases where a generic is available. | 66 (21.9) | 122 (40.4) | 17 (5.6) | 85(28.1) | 12 (4.0) |
2. Wider use of generic medicines will mean that less money will be spent for research and development of new pharmaceuticals. | 38 (12.6) | 130(43.0) | 58 (19.2) | 69(22.8) | 7 (2.3) |
3. Wider use of generic medicines will result in decrease in health care expenditure by the government of Palestine. | 51 (16.9) | 155 (51.3) | 46 (15.2) | 43(14.2) | 7 (2.3) |
4. Switching a patient from branded medicine to a generic medicine may change the outcome of the drug therapy. | 16 (5.3) | 75 (24.8) | 54 (17.9) | 132(43.7) | 25 (8.3) |
5. Therapeutic failure is a serious problem with most generic products. | 13 (4.3) | 27 (8.9) | 35 (11.6) | 176(58.3) | 51 (16.9) |
6. All products approved as generic drugs by the health authorities in the state of Palestine can be considered therapeutically equivalent to their branded counterparts. | 48 (15.9) | 171 (56.6) | 35 (11.6) | 42(13.9) | 6 (2.0) |
7. The price difference between generic and branded drugs is often so great that I feel I must dispense prescriptions with generic substitution, especially for people who do not have prescription drug benefits in Palestine. | 57 (18.9) | 147 (48.7) | 18 (6.0) | 68(22.5) | 12 (4.0) |
8. Patients should be given enough explanations about the reasons for choosing generic medicines for them. | 75 (24.8) | 171 (56.6) | 17 (5.6) | 31(10.3) | 8 (2.6) |
9. Community pharmacists in Palestine should be given generic substitution right. | 117 (38.7) | 147 (48.7) | 16 (5.3) | 17 (5.6) | 5 (1.7) |
10. The intensity of promotional activities by medical representatives plays an important role in dispensing generics. | 99 (32.8) | 174 (57.6) | 9 (3.0) | 16 (5.3) | 4 (1.3) |
11. Health authorities in Palestine should implement policies such that bioequivalence data are mandatory before a generic product is marketed. | 135 (44.7) | 153 (50.7) | 7 (2.3) | 6 (2.0) | 1 (0.3) |
12. Community pharmacists should be allowed to perform generic substitution without consulting the prescribing physician. | 91 (30.1) | 119 (39.4) | 30 (9.9) | 49(16.2) | 13(4.3) |
13. Community pharmacists must consult the prescribing physician when performing generic substitution. | 23 (7.6) | 97 (32.1) | 34 (11.3) | 121(40.1) | 27 (8.9) |
14. Community pharmacists should only be required to consult the prescribing physician when substituting certain categories of drugs, such as those with narrow therapeutic index. | 65 (21.5) | 130 (43.0) | 39 (12.9) | 62(20.5) | 6 (2.0) |
15. In general, I would not dispense generic medicine to my patients. | 19 (6.3) | 67 (22.2) | 44 (14.6) | 122(40.4) | 50 (16.6) |