AUTHOR=Zhang Chao , Ding Yudan , Wu Zhenzhen , Wang Juan , Wu Xiangping , Xie Weiwei 

TITLE=Does China’s competitive generic substitution policy deliver equivalent clinical outcomes? A pilot study with two generic formulations of olanzepine

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pharmacology

VOLUME=Volume 14 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2023.1097600

DOI=10.3389/fphar.2023.1097600

ISSN=1663-9812

ABSTRACT=With the National Centralized Drug Procurement policy gradually applied nationally in China, concerns about the effectiveness and safety of bid-winning generic drugs and the clinical effects of generic-generic switch are growing again. This real-world study was conducted to fill the gap. Results suggest that a generic version of a psychotropic medication may not be of therapeutic equivalence or bioequivalence with another generic one. Changes in efficacy or tolerability are possible in every switch. Therapeutic drug monitoring could be a valuable tool during switches between generic drugs. Larger prospective clinical studies for other generic psychotropic medications in target populations are warranted.