Generic Medicines and Pharmacist Satisfaction

The Cameroonian pharmaceutical market is marked by a high rate of consumption of generics and a permanent rivalry between generic laboratories and the large multinationals with mixed generic and speciality offers. The pharmacy has become a major target for the pharmaceutical industry. The objective of this book is to evaluate the satisfaction of retail pharmacists with generics. To achieve this, we used appropriate statistical tools to process and analyse primary data from a questionnaire survey of 280 dispensing pharmacists. The analysis leads to some very revealing findings. Generics remain a life-saving medical solution adapted to the socio-economic and political context of poor African populations without a health insurance system. However, the preference for generics remains mixed. In view of these findings, we make a number of recommendations to governments, pharmacists, pharmaceutical companies and non-governmental organisations concerned with health issues.