Track: Master Thesis Competition

Abstract

The idea of using generic pharmaceuticals is generally acknowledged around the world. Nonetheless, it has struggled to acquire traction in India due to a lack of awareness, information and faith in the product's quality. Therefore, keeping in line with this idea a study was conducted to assess consumer knowledge and attitudes concerning generic drug usage and distribution, as well as to raise awareness among survey participants. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was done with 208 consumers, 65 retailers and 15 PMBJAK. In our study, 78% of consumers were aware of generic medicines, 13% believed that generic medicines had higher quality, 76% knew about PMBJAK, 93% of retailers believed that branded medicines were of higher quality, 83% of them were aware of PMBJAK and 34% believed that branded medicines were prescribed the most in their area through the prescription process. Our findings imply that participants' knowledge and attitudes about generic drugs were lacking. Doctors' recommendations and drug company advantages have been demonstrated to influence retailers. The findings highlight the need of raising public awareness and understanding of generic drugs, PMBJAK, and sensible drug usage.