FDA to survey pharmacists on their experiences with changes in generic drug pill appearance

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration last week announced plans to survey pharmacists and patients about their experiences resulting from changes in generic drug pill appearance.

 

The agency expressed a concern that generic drugs that differ in appearance from the brand-name equivalent, or from one another, may lead to nonadherence. "Studies indicate that patients are more likely to stop taking their generic medications when they experience a change in their drugs' physical appearances, leading to harmful clinical and public health consequences, as well as increased healthcare costs from avoidable morbidity and mortality," the agency stated. 

 

"To provide additional information that may help guide regulatory policy or pharmacy business practices, we intend to conduct surveys of pharmacists and patients about their perceptions about and experiences with generic drug product pill appearance change. These surveys are intended to further our understanding of the relationship between changes in pill appearance and nonadherence to prescribed therapeutic regimens," the agency continued. "The surveys may enable us to investigate factors that may explain the association between changes in pill appearance and nonadherence, including which factors could be modified to improve the safe and effective use of generic drugs."

 

According to the agency, generic drugs make up approximately 85% of all human prescription drugs prescribed in the United States.