8 February 2006

Health professional and consumer misconceptions about generic medicines are addressed in the February 2006 edition of NPS News titled, Generic Medicines: same difference?

“Basic quality use of medicine tenets such as safety, effectiveness and affordability are confronted daily by prescribers and consumers alike when considering generic medicine use” Dr Stephen Phillips, GP and Chair of NPS said.

Health professionals recognise their responsibility to support consumer choice by providing straight forward and accurate information while being mindful of preference, reliability and trust.

“Feeling confident about choosing a generic medicine is essential for everyone and NPS has tackled this in an unambiguous and practical way by presenting the issues that inform choice” Dr Phillips added.

There are no regulatory shortcuts for prescription generics, whose active ingredients are the same as the original drug and which must undergo the same rigorous requirements to be registered in Australia.

Compared to the UK where 52% of prescriptions dispensed are for generic medicines, Australians have been slow to choose prescription generic medicines which account for around only 20% of all dispensed prescription drugs1.

“Complex considerations such as ‘bioequivalence’ of active ingredients and the role of ‘inactive ingredients’ such as lactose are discussed in this edition of NPS News.

“More commonplace concerns resulting from differences in name, colour, shape and labelling of generic medicines are also addressed through discussion points for use with patients” concluded Dr Phillips.

NPS News can be viewed online at www.nps.org.au or visit Australian Prescriber http://www.australianprescriber.com/ to view other NPS articles on generic medicine use.

General practitioners, community pharmacists and other community-based health practitioners can access free, independent, accurate, up-to-date information about medicines through the Therapeutic Advice and Information Service (TAIS) on 1300 138 677 during business hours.

National Prescribing Service Ltd (NPS) provides independent, evidence-based information and services to health professionals and the community on Quality Use of Medicines (QUM). To achieve this we work in partnership with GPs, pharmacists, specialists, other health professionals, Government, pharmaceutical industry, consumer organisations and the community. NPS is an independent, non-profit organisation funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing.

^{1 Lofgren Hans 2002, Generic Drugs: International Trends and Policy Developments in Australia. Working Paper No.10 Pharmaceutical Industry Project Equity, Sustainability and Industry Development Working Paper Series}