Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37091630›Full record

ArticleThe journal of medicine access

Assessment of community pharmacists' knowledge of the differences between generic drugs and biosimilars: A pilot cross-sectional study.

Sanaa Awada, Roudy Sayah, Maribelle Mansour, Cynthia Nabhane, Georges Hatem

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The journal of medicine access. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.2field-weighted citation impact, top 21% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 7 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.

Sanaa AwadaClinical and Epidemiological Research Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmacy, Lebanese University, Hadat, Lebanon.
Roudy SayahClinical and Epidemiological Research Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmacy, Lebanese University, Hadat, Lebanon.
Maribelle MansourClinical and Epidemiological Research Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmacy, Lebanese University, Hadat, Lebanon.
Cynthia NabhaneClinical and Epidemiological Research Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmacy, Lebanese University, Hadat, Lebanon.
Georges HatemClinical and Epidemiological Research Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmacy, Lebanese University, Hadat, Lebanon.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0964-9722
Lebanese University · LB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Pharmacists' knowledge of the differences in the characteristics between generic drugs and biosimilars is essential to ensure good practice and lower pharmaceutical bills. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate community pharmacists' knowledge and perception of using and substituting biosimilars and generic drugs. Design: A pilot cross-sectional study was performed over 2 months (August-September 2022) targeting community pharmacists in their work site. Method: Data were collected using a uniform survey given to 75 pharmacists. Afterward, a knowledge score was generated by summing several individual scores of statements regarding generic drugs and biosimilars. Results: Overall, pharmacists had moderate to low knowledge scores, namely, with the statements tackling biosimilars. No significance was reported between these scores and their general characteristics. As regards their substitution, most pharmacists agreed to substitute generic drugs if the brand was not available, while the doctor's approval was crucial for biosimilar switching. Most participants perceived equal effectiveness of generic drugs but similar to a lower one for biosimilars compared to the reference medication. Pharmacists highlighted the need to include generic drugs and biosimilars in the continuing education program and workshops. Conclusion: To promote their use, improving pharmacists' knowledge can help overcome misconceptions about generic drugs and biosimilars. It is recommended that health care stakeholders focus on fostering good understanding among pharmacists to enhance access to medication.

Indexed as

biosimilarsGeneric drugsknowledgemedicine accesspharmacists

Identifiers

PMID37091630
PMCPMC10119850
OpenAlexW4366317378

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.