Generic Medicine Substitution: A Cross-Sectional Survey of the Perception of Pharmacists in North-Central, Nigeria

<b><i>Objective:</i></b> To investigate the views of pharmacists in North-Central Nigeria on generic medicines and generic substitution practices. <b><i>Subjects and Method:</i></b> A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 4 cities in North-Central Nigeria from April to June 2012 among 330 pharmacists in hospital and community pharmacy settings, recruited through a convenience sampling strategy. Data were collected using a prevalidated self-administered questionnaire and entered into SPSS version 16.0 software to generate descriptive statistics. Binary logistic regression was conducted to determine the demographic predictors of preference for generic substitution among respondents. <b><i>Results:</i></b> The response rate was 46.7% (n = 154). Eighty-four (54.5%) respondents reported that generic medicines were not of equivalent quality to branded ones. There was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in the perception of respondents regarding the quality of imported generic medicines over locally manufactured ones. While 143 (92.9%) respondents supported generic substitution practices, 105 (68.2%) would prefer to recommend generic medicines over branded ones. Hospital pharmacists were more likely (OR = 2.6; 95% CI 1.2-5.8) than community pharmacists to recommend generic medicines. One hundred and fifty-three (99.4%) respondents would support the implementation of a future generic substitution right for pharmacists in Nigeria. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> The present study showed a high support for generic substitution and future generic substitution rights for pharmacists in Nigeria.