Public perception of generic medicines in Malta

Objectives To assess the perception of generic medicines among the general public in Malta. Methods A self-administered questionnaire was developed to assess knowledge, attitudes and use of generic medicines. The questionnaire was disseminated to a sample of the public recruited by convenience sampling in five localities in Malta. Descriptive statistics were undertaken. Key findings A total of 228 participants completed the questionnaire; 54% were female, 42% were >= 60 years old, and 37% had up to secondary education level. Sixty-one per cent of the participants were aware of the correct definition of a generic medicine, and 55% stated that they had previously used generic medicines. Twenty per cent of the participants had never used generic medicines since they perceived them to be inferior in quality or less effective compared to their originator counterparts. Fifty-four per cent of the participants would switch to a generic medicine if the originator product was out-of-stock and 38% would pay between 1% and 20% less for a generic medicine compared to the originator product. Conclusions Participants in this study exhibited a positive overall perception regarding generic medicines, demonstrating improvement in perception from a previous local study. The majority of participants were knowledgeable about generic medicines, had previously used generic medicines and would switch to a generic medicine if the originator product was not in stock.