Why choose generic drugs?
March 22, 2013
THE Generic Medicines Industry
Association and the Pharmacy
Guild of Australia have banded
together to launch a joint initiative
– Why choose generic medicines?
“And the answer to this question
is simple: generic medicines offer
the same health benefits, they
provide this at a lower cost to
government and community and
the quality and performance of
generic medicines are assured,” a
statement from the duo said.
“Australians are very positive
towards generic medicines - 82%
agree that a generic medicine is ‘a
product I know and trust’”.
“However, Australians display a
preference (2:1) for branded over
generic medicines, revealing a
disconnect between favourable
perceptions and their purchasing
consideration,” the statement
added.
According to the pair Australians
are more likely to think branded
rather than generic medicines: are
‘high quality’ (94% branded, 81%
generic); and ‘meet Australian
standards of safety and effectiveness’
(92% branded, 79% generic).
“The more quality information
that consumers have about generic
medicines, the more likely they
are to choose a generic medicine,”
the duo said.
As such, the new initiative is
designed to enable pharmacists to
deliver high quality info to the
consumer about generics.
To this end, The Generic
Medicines Industry Association and
the Pharmacy Guild of Australia
have developed important
materials for pharmacists to use in
their pharmacy with their
customer,” the statement said.
“These consumer friendly
materials are designed to present
the facts and dispel the fallacies
associated with generic medicines.
“These materials are being
launched at the Pharmacy Guild of
Australia’s Annual National
Conference today,” the statement
added.
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