WE read with concern the letter “Healthcare: Diabetic concern” (NST, July 3), about a government servant who, having run out of diabetes medication, purchased it from a pharmacy where he was told that he had two options: buy a costly drug (”an original”) that was patented overseas or get a cheaper, local version of the drug.

The drug supplied by the pharmacy turned out to be “non-original”. His fear was whether he had been given a safe drug.

This is a fear that most consumers have and it has to do with the issue of generic drugs. We, therefore, would like to highlight some of the important issues faced when choosing between generic and branded medicines.

Generic drugs, more commonly called cheaper brands, are drugs that are no longer under patent protection.

They are less expensive than branded drugs although they are chemically identical and meet the regulatory standards for safety, quality and effectiveness. Generics are, therefore, safe and as good as the branded drug.

It is quite disheartening to note that the pharmacy staff at Sungai Buloh Hospital did not really counsel the patient on the difference between a generic and a branded pharmaceutical product.

This, in turn, created fear in the patient as to whether he had been dispensed with safe “non-original” medicine.

It must be emphasised that the use of the terms “original” and “non-original” are not appropriate as most consumers equate “non-original” medi-cines with counterfeit medi-cines, which is a totally different matter.

In many developed countries, such as Australia, whenever a prescription is given to a patient by a doctor, the pharmacists in charge of filling out the prescription will always ask the patient whether he prefers “a cheaper brand”.

The pharmacists will give a full explanation to patients who opt for cheaper brands.

The term “cheaper brand” is more appropriate in referring to generics as most consumers are not accustomed to the term “generics”.

In Malaysia, all medicines registered, regardless of whether they are generic or branded, need to undergo a very rigorous registration process set by the drug regulatory body, the National Pharmaceutical Control Bureau.

Furthermore, it is the policy of the Ministry of Health to purchase all medicines for government hospital use from reliable manufacturers and suppliers in order to ensure they are safe and of high quality.

Consumers really need to be educated when brand-switching takes place and it is the role of healthcare professionals such as pharmacists and doctors to inform patients when brand-switching occurs.

Efforts to educate patients on issues surrounding generics need to be intensified.

Our research group has published a booklet and a pamphlet to help educate consumers on the differences and similarities between generic and branded drugs.

It is our hope that this information can be shared with stakeholders in order to dispel myths about generic medi-cines.

As for M.S. of Sungai Buloh, he can rest assured the medication given to him at the hospital is safe for consumption.

DR MOHAMED AZMI AHMAD HASSALI and DR T. JAYABALAN, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences Universiti Sains Malaysia Penang

Source: NST – July 6, 2009