Generic drug adoption framework (GRAF) adapted for Colombia: Consensus methodology

Abstract

Background: The global surge in non-communicable diseases, like cancer, strains health systems financially and restricts patient access to treatment. Generic drugs offer comparable efficacy, safety, and quality to innovator drugs, improving patient access and well-being. To aid healthcare workers in selecting the best generic drugs, Generic drug Adoption Framework (GRAF) was developed as an evaluation tool. This paper aims to adapt the tool to Colombia for healthcare professional’s daily use. Methods: Adapting the tool involved two phases: surveying healthcare workers (oncologists’ specialists and pharmacists) to gauge their readiness for adopting generic drugs, additionally and expert consensus was developed to adapt the tool to the Colombian context. Results: Of 62 surveyed healthcare workers, 38.7% were early adopters and 32.3% were late adopters. Pharmacists showed higher early adoption rates (47%) than physicians (33%). In the second phase, experts identified 12 relevant attributes for the Colombian scenario, refining descriptions and scoring scales. Conclusion: The study revealed Colombian healthcare workers’ perceptions of generic drugs and differences in adoption rates. The adapted tool to the Colombian healthcare context could clarify misconceptions that require diverse strategies to increase the use of generic drugs, aiding in better patient care.