GENERICS STILL POORLY UNDERSTOOD IN BRAZIL, CLAIMS SURVEY

A new survey claims that despite reports of soaring sales, generic medicines remain little used and poorly understood in Brazil. The country is the world's eighth-largest generics market, worth roughly US$700mn in 2005.

Although nearly 70% of the survey's 3,000 participants had taken some form of medicine in the previous two weeks, just 3.6% had taken a generic drug. On the more positive side for generics makers, 86% believed that such medicines were cheaper than branded equivalents but comparable in quality.

Less positively, the study shows that there is considerable confusion between branded copies -- or so-called 'similar' drugs -- and true generics. 48% of those questioned were unable to correctly identify generic drug presentations, and only 57% could name one feature of packaging specific to generics. Packets of true generics are marked with a highly visible yellow strip and letter G in Brazil.

However, the report's findings highlight the fact that consumer information is not all-important, and only 63% claim to have received the exact medicine prescribed by doctors. Although prescribers have been slow to adopt generics, Brazilian law prohibits pharmacies from substituting brand name drugs with non-equivalent 'similar' drugs.