Generic drugs contain the same active pharmaceutical ingredient as their innovator counterparts and are introduced only after patent expiration. These drugs reduce costs for patients, the government, and pharmaceutical manufacturers. In India, the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP), launched in 2008, provides unbranded, quality-assured generics to underserved populations. Therefore, there is a need to update knowledge and popularize unbranded generic drugs among healthcare professionals and the general population, with the objective of improving confidence in and utilization of generic drugs. This review, based on a comprehensive literature search (PubMed, Google Scholar, government/regulatory sources), evaluates India’s regulatory framework, identifies implementation challenges, and assesses recent policy reforms. Despite being therapeutically equivalent to innovator drugs, generic drugs are underutilized due to misconceptions about quality, limited public awareness, physician reluctance, and inconsistent availability. Although initiatives like PMBJP have improved affordability, issues such as supply shortages, inadequate pharmacist training, and limited rural outreach persist. As generic drugs are essential to improving healthcare affordability in India, building trust through public education, enforcing regulatory standards, ensuring drug quality, and integrating generic medicine awareness into medical, dental, pharmacy, and nursing curricula are essential to enhance their utilization and acceptance.
Manak et al. (Tue,) studied this question.
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