Most patients know generic medicines are as safe and effective as more expensive brand-name drugs, but a survey of upstate New Yorkers released today by Excellus BlueCross BlueShield identifies gaps in communications and awareness that are preventing maximum savings.
Ninety percent of consumers who take prescription drugs believe generics are as safe as brand-name drugs, and 84 percent who switched from a brand to a generic reported they were satisfied with the alternative. The survey was commissioned by Excellus BlueCross BlueShield and conducted by United Marketing Research. It consisted of telephone interviews with a random sample of 2,003 adults living in a 39-county area in upstate New York who reported they had used a prescription drug in the past year. The interviews took place Jan. 31 to Feb. 27, and the margin of error on the overall sample was +/- 2.5 percent.
Patient Communication
Physicians determine whether brand-name drugs or generic alternatives are prescribed for their patients. This occurs with input from both the patient and pharmacist. Part of the survey sought to measure, from a patient and consumer perspective, the communications experience.
The survey found:
-- 35 percent of patients had never asked their doctors if there was a generic alternative for a brand-name drug they were taking; 53 percent reported they had never asked their pharmacists if there was a generic alternative to the brand-name drug they were taking.
-- 58 percent of patients said their doctors or pharmacists had never recommended they switch from a brand-name drug to a generic alternative.
-- 55 percent of patients said their doctor never asked them if the cost of a drug might be a concern to them before it was prescribed; among seniors, that figure was the highest at 68 percent.
"We're thrilled that most people think favorably about generics, especially since an increased use of generics is widely hailed as a way to help slow rising health care costs," said Joel Owerbach, Pharm. D., vice president and chief pharmacy officer for Excellus BCBS. "But the report also shows that more work must be done, especially when it comes to getting more people to talk with their doctor and pharmacist to find out whether a generic might be the right choice for them."
Willingness to switch
According to the survey, a high percentage of consumers are willing to switch to generics even without being prompted with additional financial savings beyond what they may currently have as a health benefit. Seventy-nine (79) percent of consumers said yes to the question, "If generic alternatives for your brand-name drugs were available, would you switch to the generic alternative?"
When the concept of financial savings for generics was introduced in the survey, low dollar amounts (under $20) were cited by a strong majority of consumers as motivation for switching away from more expensive brand-name drugs.
Awareness
Personal awareness of the availability of generic alternatives also was measured.
-- One of four consumers who reported they were currently taking brand-name prescriptions said they were aware that lower-cost generic alternatives are available; an additional 26 percent said they were not sure whether a generic alternative is available for the brand-name drug they were taking.
-- 43 percent of consumers said they had seen or heard ads, news or other sources of information in the past three months that encourage people to use generic drugs if available; 57 percent said they had not or could not recall seeing or hearing such information.
The report is believed to be one of the most comprehensive surveys of its kind in the nation to measure consumer attitudes toward generic drugs. Highlights are available online at http://www.excellusbcbs.com in the "Public Policy and Research" section.
Although recent data suggests that the growth of prescription drug costs has slowed, prescription spending still accounts for 17 to 19 percent of the costs of an average health care plan in upstate New York. Replacing brand-name prescriptions with generics is a way to reduce such costs. Upstate New Yorkers, for example, reduced prescription drug spending last year by about $130 million by switching from some expensive brand-name prescription drugs to safe and effective generics, according to a year-long analysis released in December 2006 by Excellus BCBS.
"This survey should be helpful in promoting greater public education about generics as well as encouraging conversation between the patient and his or her physician and pharmacist," Owerbach said. "Where opportunities exist to save money without sacrificing quality of health care, our society can't afford to pass them up." |
