The Pharmacy Student’s Knowledge And Perception About Generic Medicine: Web-based Cross-Sectional Study

Background: The promotion of generic medicines in developing nation like India plays a crucial role in the availability of essential drugs for everyone. The main objective of this survey is to understand the knowledge and perception of the pharmacy student about generic medicine along with its safety and efficacy profile. Methods: The web-based cross-sectional study was carried out from September 2020 to February 2021 utilizing the Google form. The google form had four questionnaire sections, i.e., socio-demographic section, overall knowledge section, knowledge regarding safety and efficacy section, and perception section. Results: Most students believe they require additional knowledge regarding how bioequivalence tests are performed for generic drugs. Of 463 students, 419 students (88%) agrees generic medicine is cheaper than branded medicines, and 339 students (73%) agrees wider use of generic medicines in India helps in decreasing health care cost whereas 215 students (45%) are not aware generics are only marketed after the patent expiry of the branded medicine. Of 441 students, 127 students (27%) wrongly agree that generic medicines are less effective than branded medicine, and 196 students (43%) wrongly agree that generic medicine costs less because they are inferior to branded medicine. Most pharmacy students believe doctors and patients should be given enough knowledge about generic medicine and that branded medicine use is influenced by advertisements. Conclusion: This study concludes that there is a gap in knowledge among pharmacy students about generic medicine. The responsible authorities should establish relevant curriculum revisions to increase students’ knowledge about generic medications