Poll finds 81% of US citizens "prefer" generics

A clear majority of US survey respondents, 81%, would more often choose generic versions of prescription drugs than their branded equivalent, a  significant rise, according to the polling organization, Harris, which  noted that from October 2006 to December 2008, the proportion that would  insist on the more expensive agent fell from 32% to 19%.

The shift in spending patterns translated into rises from 11% to 15% in  on-line purchases, 10% to12% in supermarkets and 13% to 17% for  discount stores such as the world's biggest retailer, Wal-Mart, its  subsidiary Sam's Club and main US rival, Target. However, the loss of  one third of business share by independent pharmacies (12% to 8%) and  nearly one sixth for chain drugstores (39% to 33%) over the same period  indicates that, in the price versus quality trade off, the momentum is  with generic medicines, health economist Jane Sarasohn-Kahn claimed.  She said that, in a downturn, "a co-pay of zero dollars, to $4 for some  generics at Wal-Mart and Target, to perhaps $10...is much more  attractive to a health consumer than $25...or higher prices [for  branded versions] at the point-of-purchase."

The Generic Pharmaceutical Association's (GPhA) president, Kathleen  Jaeger, argued that "it is clear that consumers understand that generic  medicines provide the same clinical results as brand name drugs, but at  significantly lower costs." She added that the GPhA's longstanding case  in favor of a generic pathway for biotechnology agents (Marketletters  passim) is strengthened by the Harris poll.