Interchangeability of medicines between reference, generic and equivalent medicines

Abstract

Dealing with interchangeability is to allow the patient to know the main differences between the reference, generic and equivalent drugs, and thus, ensure in the decision process that the purchase occurs both for the knowledge of the drug efficacy, and for the patient's financial issue, since that they do not remain without the drug, favoring knowledge about drug interchangeability, enabling access to health. To analyze the interchangeability between reference, generic and equivalent drugs, demonstrating how the patient's lack of knowledge about this difference impacts the decision, choice, purchase and treatment process. Integrative literature review supported by the following databases NCBI/PubMed (National Center for BiotechnologyInformation), SciELO (Scientific Electronic Lirary Online), Google Scholar and Lilacs - Bireme (Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Science Health). Inclusion criteria were used to define the content: articles available in full, in Portuguese and English, from 2015 to 2021 with free access and relevant to the theme. From the analysis of the eight selected articles, it is possible to perceive that the lack of knowledge about the concept of each of the drugs directly interferes in the decision making about the purchase, patients, especially the elderly, tend to buy exactly the name that the doctor prescribed in the prescription, this is because they believe that equivalent or generic medication do not have the same efficacy. It was concluded that the pharmacist is essential to assist in the clarification of the patient about the reference, generic and equivalent drugs because they have the same safety and effectiveness in relation to their actions and effects.