Generic drugs use during the COVID-19 pandemic among Lebanese patients using psychotropics: An opportunity for generic drug promotion.

Introduction: The Coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has imposed several challenges leading to the shortage of medications due to the disruption of their supply chains. Among others, patients using psychotropics encountered difficulties finding their medication despite the efforts of investing in local production. Encouraging patients to use generic drugs can be an effective strategy to ensure sustainable access to medication. Objectives: This study aimed to describe the consumption of psychotropic medications during the COVID-19 pandemic and the willingness together with the reasons for using generic drugs. It also assessed the association between generic drugs and the general characteristics of the patients. Design: A cross-sectional study was performed over a period of 4 months (July-October 2021) targeting 128 patients using psychotropic drugs. Results: The sample included more women than men with a mean age of 38 years. Antidepressants were the psychotropic medications mostly consumed followed by anti-anxiety medications. Almost 13% of the patients started using psychotropics either through self-prescription or a friend's advice and 73.4% used generic drugs. Fear of dependence, unavailability of the brand drug, and pharmacist's recommendation were the main reported reasons for using generic drugs. Conclusion: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the consumption of psychotropics increased due to new prescriptions and self-medication. No differences were noted between using generics and the characteristics of the patients in contrast to previous studies which support the implementation of generic prescription and substitution policies.