A STUDY OF FACTORS AFFECTING THE ACCEPTANCE OF GENERIC MEDICINES

As India is one of the highest per capita out-of-pocket expenditures’ countries, generics will save a lot of money which can be used for other health issues. In all the countries, use of generic drugs has increased significantly in recent years. In 2008, the Government of India, through the Department of Pharmaceuticals, started a new initiative “Jan Aushadhi” (a Hindi word literally translated as “Medicine for People”). This program envisaged making unbranded quality medicines available to poor people in the country at a reasonable and affordable price through retail outlets’ setup with the help of the government. It has taken ownership of setting up Jan Aushadhi stores, which are pharmacies selling only generic name medicines to the extent possible, giving preference to pharmaceutical public sector undertakings too. There are not enough Jan Aushadhi stores, possibly 3200 against more than 8 lakh retail pharmacies in existence, with many rural areas still underserved. The Medical Council of India, in an amendment to the code of conduct for doctors in October 2016, has recommended that every physician should prescribe drugs with generic names legible and he or she shall ensure that there is a rational prescription which promotes the use of generic drugs. In future, the Government of India may bring a legal framework under which doctors will have to prescribe generic medicines to patients. For this study a survey was conducted in Nagpur city. The Sample size for the study was 80 and Sampling technique used here is stratified random sampling. The primary data was collected using questionnaire and secondary data was collected through online websites, e - journals and research paper. The study concludes that doctors prescribe generic medicines on their own and also on patient’s request as generic medicines are affordable at a lower cost. Generic medicine produces the same therapeutic effect as the patented medicines (branded generics). Mostly doctors agree generic medicines are as safe as branded medicines. The doctors are found switching the patient’s medication from patent medicine to generic medicine in some cases. Generic medicines are appropriate for less serious condition of patient but treatment with generic medicine take a longer duration