Malaysian generic pharmaceutical industries: perspective from healthcare stakeholders

Abstract

Objective The objectives were to document the published literature related to healthcare stakeholders’ knowledge, attitudes, views and perceptions towards generic medicines or generic substitution in Malaysia and to suggest recommendations to improve generic medicines utilization in Malaysia according to different healthcare stakeholders’ need. Methods A systematic search of articles published in peer-reviewed journals from January 2001 to November 2013 was performed. The search used 11 electronic databases. The search strategy involved using Boolean operators for combinations of the following keywords: generic AND Malaysia, Malaysia AND pharmaceutical, Malaysia AND Medicine Policy, Malaysia AND Economic Transformation. Key findings Twelve articles were included in this review. Two studies were conducted with generic manufacturers, one study with medical practitioners, six studies with community pharmacists and three studies with medicine consumers. Generic manufacturers expressed concerns about the generic medicines policy and drug approval system in Malaysia. In addition, medical practitioners, pharmacists and medicine consumers still have misconceptions about safety, quality, efficacy and bioequivalence of generic medicines. Furthermore, despite the availability of some pro-generic policies, there is a lack of implementation of these policies in the country. Conclusion Different healthcare stakeholders have different concerns and views towards generic medicines as well as different levels of knowledge about them. The existing generic medicines policy and Economic Transformation Program should be implemented as planned. Educational and promotional campaigns should be carried out to improve utilization of generic medicines among all healthcare stakeholders in Malaysia.