Brand versus generic medications: A disease state approach to identify patients’ perceptions and concerns

Abstract

Background Medication cost does not solely dictate patient preference of brand name or generic medications. However, few studies have been completed to assess the influence of other factors, such as demographics and chronic diseases. Methods Responses were collected from 347 English speaking adults in the United States, age 18 and older, pertaining to demographics, diagnosed conditions, preference and knowledge of brand and generic medications. Results Participants with COPD, epilepsy, and high cholesterol felt that their condition influenced their preference of brand or generic medication more as compared with participants diagnosed with other conditions. If cost was not an issue, then 46% of respondents would prefer the brand name product, while 18% of participants felt their preference depended on the condition that the medication was intended to treat. Roughly one-third of the participants did not fully understand why there are both brand name and generic medications, and education level did not impact comprehension significantly. Conclusion The incentive for generic preference over brand name is primarily due to cost differences. However, improvement of education pertaining to brand/generic equivalency is needed, as some patients still believe brand name medications are superior to generic alternatives for certain disease states.