Importance of a usual source of care in choosing low-priced generic drugs: a cross-sectional study.

Generic drugs with a discounted price compared to their corresponding brand-name drugs could be prescribed for patients. Therefore, spending on pharmaceuticals could be saved if physicians prescribed low-priced generics and/or patients switched from high-priced drugs to low-priced drugs. Policymakers have introduced several ways to encourage choosing low-priced generic drugs. This study focussed on the factors associated with choosing low-priced generic drugs in South Korea. Contrary to our expectations, only a few patients (17% of the total patients) choose low-priced generics, indicating potential to save pharmaceutical expenditure. Geriatric patients, patients who mainly visited primary healthcare institutions, and patients who had a usual source of care were more likely to choose low-priced generics. This study also suggested various ways to encourage choosing low-priced generic drugs in health systems.