Renal patients' views on generic prescribing and substitution: example from the United Arab Emirates

This survey examined current patient awareness and understanding of generic substitution. We surveyed 188 renal patients using 36 multiple-choice questions in 2 hospitals in the United Arab Emirates. We found that 70% of patients were aware of the availability of generic medicines, 60% understood the terms "generic" and "branded" in relation to medicines and 64% were conscious of generic substitution practice. However, 32% did not know if they were taking generics and 31% felt that generics were not equivalent or only sometimes equivalent to branded medicines. Nearly half (47%) the patients stated they would refuse generic substitution of ciclosporin when it became available if this was just to save the health authority money. In our opinion, random generic substitution should not be implemented because there is still uncertainty and lack of knowledge among patients.