The population's perceptions of generic drugs compared to original brand-name drugs in Peruvian hospitals

Abstract

The study aimed to investigate the population's perceptions of generic drugs compared to original brand-name drugs in Peruvian hospitals. Participation included 4,914 persons 18 years and older in 13 cities in Peru, categorized as Lima, large cities, and small cities. The study explored socioeconomic and demographic characteristics and perceptions of generics in comparison to brand-name drugs. In determining the associations for each intersection of variables, the authors calculated the prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI), using crude and adjusted Poisson regression with robust variance with Stata 14.0. Of the 4,914 participants, 46.7% felt that generics are less effective than brand-name drugs and 49.3% had recommended or would recommend generics to other people; multivariate analysis showed that individuals with income less than PEN 1,000 (USD 300) were prone to recommending a generic drug (PR = 1.36; 95%CI: 1.14-1.63). The results indicate that the Peruvian population still has mistaken concepts and low acceptance of generic drugs, and the study should serve to develop health policies that ensure low cost and quality when choosing medicines.