Polish Patients with Epilepsy Opinion on the Generic Medications

Aim: The majority of medicines used in Poland are generic drugs – substitutions of the original. Objective of the study was to obtain information on the current knowledge about generic medicines among Polish patients with epilepsy. Material and Methods: The study was conducted based on a self-developed questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of 25 questions, including questions regarding their knowledge about generics, their previous experience and the factors behind these choices. Results: Overall, 1220 questionnaires were analyzed. Among all patients, 66.39% reportedly heard about generics. Of these 61.48% of patients had used the generic drugs in past. A significant proportion of participants had never been recommended to switch to a generic medicine by their health care professional (22.95% physician and 13.93% pharmacist). Statistically relevant differences were observed regarding the respondents’ kind and level of education, place of residence, and net income per household. Conclusions: Significant gaps were identified in the knowledge and perceptions among patients regarding generic medicines especially in relation to efficacy and safety of generic medicines. Efforts must be directed towards increasing public awareness of generic medicines and should also focus on educating patients about generic medicines.