Brand Versus Generic Medicines in General Medicine: Hospital Management, Prescribing Behavior, and Economic Impact – A Narrative Review

Background: Generic medicines are widely used because they are affordable and usually work as effectively as branded medicines. They meet the same safety and quality standards. However, in daily medical practice, the use of generic medicines is influenced by hospital management policies, doctors’ prescribing habits, patient beliefs, and overall treatment costs. These factors can affect patient care and healthcare spending. Purpose of the Review: The purpose of this narrative review was to compare branded and generic medicines used in general medicine, with special focus on hospital management practices, prescribing behavior of healthcare professionals, and economic impact on patients and healthcare systems. Findings: Most studies showed that generic medicines are therapeutically equivalent to branded medicines in terms of safety and effectiveness. Despite this, many doctors still prefer branded drugs due to habit, confidence in brands, influence from pharmaceutical representatives, and patient expectations. Pharmacists generally showed greater trust in generic medicines and stronger support for generic substitution. Generic medicines often reduce drug costs, but total healthcare costs do not always decrease because of additional doctor visits, hospital admissions, or treatment changes. Patient beliefs and poor awareness sometimes reduce acceptance of generics, although government supply programs showed good outcomes at lower cost. Inclusion Criteria: Studies published in English that compared branded and generic medicines, discussed prescribing behavior, hospital management or substitution policies, and reported clinical or economic outcomes in general medicine were included. Exclusion Criteria: Editorials without data, conference abstracts, non-English articles, and studies not related to general medicine practice were excluded.