Physicians’ perceptions towards brand medicine and its effect on prescribing: A narrative review

• Published in: Journal of Generic Medicines 2017-12, Vol.13 (4), p.157-183
• Main Authors: Murshid, Mohsen Ali, Mohaidin, Zurina
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Drug formularies; Generic drugs; Pharmaceutical industry; Prescription drugs; Studies
• ISSN: 1741-1343; 1741-7090
• DOI: 10.1177/1741134317709509

Objective The purpose of this paper is to examine existing literature on physicians’ perceptions towards brand medicines, to examine the extent to which brands influence drug prescription and whether pharmaceutical industry influences the prescription of brands, as well as to examine the loyalty of physicians to a brand when prescribing drugs or willingness to switch to generic drugs. Methods Related articles published in different online databases from 2000 to 2017 were surveyed; 38 scientific articles indexed in Google Scholar, Science Direct, and PubMed were selected for review. Articles focused on physicians’ perceptions towards brand drugs and its effect on prescribing were extracted. The experimental design and quantitative and qualitative methods used in the studies were analyzed. The deductions made in each study were examined in tandem with the objective of the review. Findings The studies showed that physicians from high-income countries are inclined to prescribe generic drugs more than brand, whereas those from low-income countries heavily prescribe the brand drugs. The studies also revealed that brand influences the prescribing behavior of physicians. Five studies reported that marketing endeavors encourage the physicians to prescribe brand medicines, while three studies stated that physicians have a high loyalty toward brand medicines irrespective of country’s income. Other studies provided evidence that physicians are disposed to switching from brand to generic medicines under certain conditions. Marked differences in the prescribing generic drugs use by physicians among different age were observed. General physicians and pediatrics were more likely to suggest switching from the brand to generic drugs. The majority of physicians were familiar with biosimilars drugs. Conclusion Generally, the studies showed that physicians tend to have mixed views regarding prescribing brand medicines. The perceptions of physicians towards the brand drugs were found to differ in relation to the nature of healthcare system and level of development.