EVALUATING PERCEPTIONS AND KNOWLEDGE OF PUBLIC ABOUT LOCAL GENERIC MEDICATIONS IN JORDAN
Introduction: In recent years, the use of generics has markedly improved. Because of lower manufacturing cost, generics offer a great chance for financial saving in drug expenditure with maintaining the quality, efficacy and safety. In developing countries, health insurance companies, health authorities and governments have suffered from pharmaceutical expenditures that has risen rapidly especially in the Last two decades. Improper or lacking knowledge about local generics may lead to ineffective and unsafe treatment. This situation could increase the costs, contrary to expectations; the lack of awareness about generic medicines was a barrier for using them. The aim of the study: is to evaluate awareness and attitude of Jordanian society toward local generics; in particular, their preferences regarding the use of generics vs. brand medication, and the reasons for their choices and opinions. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted, and an Adult consumers (aged >18 years) were recruited. The public opinion questionnaire was “administered†using a structured interview technique (face to face) in which members of the public were asked questions by a trained researcher (author). The target sample size was 1,000. This sample size has been shown in previous surveys of the general public, carried out by the Faculty of Pharmacy at the Jordan University of Science and Technology, to yield statistically reliable results. Results: have shown that the majority of respondents were confused regarding the quality and safety of local generics. Conclusions: The results showed general unawareness on generic medicines. No single variable was found to be associated with consumers’ knowledge on generic medicines.