E-drug: Generic substitution (cont'd)
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In Zimbabwe we do a lot of substitutions of brandname drugs for
generics. This is mainly to save on costs. Costs of most things, drugs
included, have risen beyond the reach of most people and the public
hospitals have virtually no drugs. In most cases when a prescription
comes to a retail pharmacy we just substitute without informing the
doctor or you do get a patient coming in and asking specifically for a
generic version. Most of our medical aid societies will reimburse a
generic drug at a higher percentage than they do for brand drugs.
There are a few cases where patient's response to the switched drug
is not good and in these cases we just dispense the brand they prefer
even at a higher cost.
Ethelda
Community pharmacist
Westend Clinic
Harare, Zimbabwe
e-mail: westend@africaonline.co.zw
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