IPLUSO presents a study on the population's knowledge and preferences regarding generic and branded medicines
The Ribeiro Sanches School of Health (ERISA), part of IPLUSO, participated in the 3rd LusoSaúde Conference – Scientific Health Conference of the Lusophone World, organised by the Academic Network of Health Sciences of the Lusophone World (RACS), which took place on 9 and 10 July 2026, via videoconference, from Portugal.
As part of this scientific event, a study was presented on the population's preferences regarding branded and generic medicines, as well as users' level of knowledge about these two categories of medicines.
The study was conducted using an original questionnaire, developed and validated by the authors, made available online and aimed at users of community pharmacies. A total of 437 valid responses were obtained, making it possible to characterise participants' perceptions and knowledge regarding branded and generic medicines.
The results showed that the majority of participants know the difference between branded and generic medicines and do not consider branded medicines to be more effective than generic medicines. The lower price stood out as one of the main advantages of generic medicines, while their quality, safety and efficacy were also recognised.
Community Pharmacy plays a prominent role as a source of information about medicines, reinforcing the importance of healthcare professionals in promoting health literacy and the rational use of medicines. Reliable sources of information were also identifi
