[Knowledge and perceptions of biosimilar medicines by health professionals in Tunisia]

Abstract

Introduction: Biosimilar drugs occupy a strategic place in the global pharmaceutical market. However, there are brakes on their use. The objective of our study is to assess the knowledge and perceptions of healthcare professionals on biosimilar drugs in a developing country.

Material and methods: This is a prospective survey via an anonymous 18-question multiple-choice questionnaire developed and published online through the "Google Forms" application over a period of one month. This questionnaire is intended for Tunisian pharmacists and doctors of all ranks.

Results: A total of 240 health professionals responded to this questionnaire, including 158 pharmacists and 82 physicians. Among them, 73 are not informed about the biosimilar drugs and were excluded from the rest of the questionnaire. Questions regarding the definition of biosimilar drugs and their differences from generic drugs obtained the best rate of 76 % of correct answers. In contrast, the questions that generated the most errors mainly concerned the regulation of biosimilar drugs. Participants felt that they were under-informed about biosimilar drugs in 65 % of the cases. In addition, 92 % were in favor of the development of this class of drugs and 85 % estimated significant to very significant savings related to their use.

Conclusion: Our study confirms the lack of information of pharmacists and physicians on biosimilar drugs. Sensitization of healthcare professionals on the safety and effectiveness of the use of these drugs seems to be necessary in order to allow their development.

Keywords: Biosimilar pharmaceuticals; Enquêtes et questionnaires; Médecins; Pharmaciens; Pharmacists; Physicians; Produits pharmaceutiques biosimilaires; Surveys and questionnaires.