An experimental intervention: stimulating patient requests for generic prescription medications.

This experiment tested the effect of an informational radio advertising intervention on consumer attitudes toward generic medications, consumer attitudes toward the advertising of generic medicines, and the potential for consumers to request generic substitutes for their prescriptions in the future. The informational themes of the advertising intervention included price, quality, product availability, safety, and the role of the pharmacist in drug product selection. Results indicated 28% of the 205 radio station listeners surveyed were able to recall the generic ads. The attitudes of respondents indicating recall of the advertisements were no different from those of respondents unable to recall the advertisements. Consumer attitudes toward generics and the advertising of generic medicines were favorable. Most consumers (73%) thought that subjects such as generic medications should be advertised more often. Many consumers (50%) indicated they would like to hear more ads about generic medications. Patients believed the ads provided information they have a right to know (83%) and information that would be useful to them (77%). Consumers thought generic drugs were just as safe (67%) and effective (62%) as brand name medications. Consumers who recalled the ads were significantly (p less than .05) more likely to indicate they would ask their pharmacists about generic medications on their next prescriptions. This implies that the informational advertising intervention may have been effective in stimulating patient requests for generics in the future.