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. 2023 Jan 17:7:27550834221147789.
doi: 10.1177/27550834221147789. eCollection 2023 Jan-Dec.

Knowledge, perception and acceptance of generic drugs in the general Lebanese population: A cross-sectional survey among adults

Georges Hatem  1   2 , Rana Itani  1 , Roula Ajrouche  1 , Nour Abbas  1 , Rita Farah  1 , Mathijs Goossens  3 , Sanaa Awada  1
Affiliations

Knowledge, perception and acceptance of generic drugs in the general Lebanese population: A cross-sectional survey among adults

Georges Hatem et al. J Med Access. .

Abstract

Background: Many governments encouraged generic use to enhance health equality and minimise health expenditure. The lack of knowledge and acceptance of generic medicines are the main barriers to their use.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess population knowledge and perception towards generic drugs, identify their primary sources of information and examine which variables are independently related to their acceptance.

Design: An observational cross-sectional study was performed targeting the Lebanese adult population.

Methods: Overall, 385 patients participated in the study. Data were collected using a uniform survey from six public healthcare centres.

Results: The participants reported a distrust towards generic drugs; they either said that they were not as effective as the brand (36.9%), were of less quality than the brand (38.5%) or had more side effects than the brand (38.4%). Around 52% said they would never buy a generic drug, and two-thirds (68.6%) preferred using a brand drug over a generic one. After adjusting for socio-demographics, a high income (odds ratio (OR) = 3.7), knowing that brands and generics have the same active ingredients (OR = 2.28) and that brands and generics were equally effective (OR = 6.46) were the strongest independent predictors for the willingness to buy generic drugs.

Conclusion: A lack of knowledge and misperceptions about generic drugs limited the use of generic drugs, and therefore must be addressed.

Keywords: Generic medicine; acceptance; brand; general population; knowledge.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Distribution of the sources of information related to generic drugs, Lebanon 2017.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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