Knowledge and perceptions of physicians from private medical centres towards generic medicines in the State of Perak,Malaysia: Findings and implications

Abstract

Objective

To evaluate the knowledge and perceptions of physicians from private medical centres towards generic medicines.

Method and setting

A cross-sectional questionnaire-based mail survey involving 172 physicians in 16 private medical centres in Perak, Malaysia was conducted.

Results

A total of 105 physicians participated in the study, giving a response rate of 61.0%. Most participants were male (81.9%), had a median age of 47 years (range 34–72 years), obtained their medical degree from Malaysia (56.2%) and had been practicing for a median of 21 years (range 8–49 years). Although only 5.7% of the participants correctly identified the bioequivalence regulatory standards for generic medicines, 48.6% believed that generic medicines are bioequivalent to their counterpart innovator brands. In this study, 35.3% of participants had doubts about efficacy of generic medicines and 58.1% had doubts about their safety. In this study, 47.6% of physicians believed that advertisements by pharmaceutical companies affect their prescribing pattern. Most physicians in this survey believed that a standard guideline on brand substitution process is needed. Paediatricians and general medical specialists were more likely to believe that there is a need for a standard guideline for brand substitution (p = 0.011) and their choice of medicines was less likely to be affected by hospital budget for drug procurement (p = 0.045). On the other hand, physicians who wrote from 21 to 39 prescriptions a day (p = 0.036) as well as those with a Master degree (p = 0.002) were less likely to perceive that information provided by healthcare professionals would influence patients’ acceptance of generic medicines.

Conclusion

The study findings show that physicians in private sector still have some concerns and misconceptions about generic medicines. Education and reassurance is needed regarding the bioequivalence, quality, efficacy and safety of generic medicines and registration system of generic medicines in Malaysia.