Knowledge, perceptions and practices of pharmacists regarding generic substitution in China: a cross-sectional study
Xin Liu,
Bo Zhang,
Yang Gao,
Liping Du,
Hui Pan,
Wei Zuo,
Jinghan Qu,
Shaohong Wang,
Jiantao Li,
Xiaoli Du,
Dan Mei,
Roxane L Took,
Kenneth W Schafermeyer,
Stephanie Lukas
Affiliations
Xin Liu
Department of Nephrology, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology; Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, People`s Republic of China
Bo Zhang
1 Shanghai Eye Disease Prevention and Treatment Center, Shanghai, China
Yang Gao
Centre for Health and Exercise Science Research, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China
Liping Du
Department of Pharmacy, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, China
Hui Pan
Department of Medical Administration, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, China
Wei Zuo
Department of Pharmacy, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, China
Jinghan Qu
Department of Pharmacy, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, China
Shaohong Wang
Department of Pharmacy, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, China
Jiantao Li
Department of Pharmacy, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, China
Xiaoli Du
Department of Pharmacy, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, China
Dan Mei
1 Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
Roxane L Took
Department of Pharmacy Practice, St. Louis College of Pharmacy, St Louis, Missouri, USA
Kenneth W Schafermeyer
Department of Pharmaceutical and Administrative Sciences, St. Louis College of Pharmacy, St Louis, Missouri, USA
Stephanie Lukas
Department of Pharmaceutical and Administrative Sciences, St. Louis College of Pharmacy, St Louis, Missouri, USA
Objective To evaluate pharmacists’ knowledge, perceptions and practices towards generic substitution in the 11 pilot locations in China.Design An online cross-sectional survey using questionnaires was conducted. A convenience sampling technique was implemented to recruit pharmacists.Setting and participants The study took place in medical institutions of 11 pilot locations that participated in the pilot national centralised procurement programme in 2019. Two thousand two hundred and ninety-one pharmacists including hospital pharmacists or community pharmacists based on health-systems or clinics participated in the study.Results Most of the participants had the good knowledge of requirements for evaluating the quality and efficacy of generic drugs (n=2118; 92.4%), and the definition of generic drugs (n=2078; 90.7%). In terms of perceptions, 67.3% of respondents were of the opinion that generic drugs are equally as effective as the brand-name drugs, and 69.0% of respondents were of the opinion that generic drugs are as safe as brand equivalents. A high percentage of participants supported the policy of generic substitution (n=1634; 71.4%). A significant positive correlation was demonstrated between total knowledge score and total perception score (ρ=0.267; p<0.001). Efficacy, safety and the direction of national policies and hospital regulations were the main factors affecting pharmacists’ willingness to dispense generic drugs.Conclusions The study identified gaps in respondents’ knowledge and perceptions of generic substitution. Pharmacists who are more knowledgeable in generic drugs tend to hold a more supportive attitude towards generic substitution. Although it appeared that pharmacists in China have largely accepted generic substitution, they still have concerns regarding the reliability and quality of generic drugs. The current issues need to be addressed for the realisation of the true value of generic drugs as part of the country’s healthcare cost-containment strategy as well as the implementation of generic substitution policy in China.
