How important is patient brand loyalty in the uptake of generic drugs?

Many western countries have developed policies to promote the substitution of branded ‘originator’ drugs with generic drugs, with the aim of containing pharmaceutical costs. However, success has been patchy and in some countries the phenomenon of the ‘generics paradox’ has been observed, where manufacturers are able to increase the prices of branded drugs after the market has been opened to generics. Using data from Spain, our study explored the extent to which the brand loyalty of patients – as opposed to their doctors or health insurers – plays a part in keeping the market penetration of generic drugs at a low level. Its findings suggest that the uptake of generics could be increased through targeted education and information on the identical properties of generics and the branded drugs they are intended to replace.