Generic controversy prompts chains to market 'confidence.'

Drug Store News, Oct 9, 1989

Generic controversy prompts chains to market `confidence'

PONTIAC, Mich. -- The ongoing generic drug controversy has prompted Perry Drug Stores to take out full-page ads in its biggest markets to try to calm public fears about the safety and quality of its generics. Other chains are considering similar moves.

The chain drug industry, and pharmacists in particular, are caught in the middle of a crisis in public confidence over prescription drugs and the legitimacy of the FDA's inspection and approval procedure. Although pharmacy executives and pharmacists defend the quality of their generics, they are dealing with an outbreak of consumer fears since the FDA/generic controversy came to light last summer.

Perry took an active role in dealing with those fears last month, when it ran full-page ads in the Sunday editions of The Detroit News, the Detroit Free Press, the Oakland Press and the Flint Journal to dispel concerns about generics. The bold-type ads advise customers "to make your pharmacist the first person you talk to" when discussing the quality of their prescription drugs.

Signed by Perry chairman Jack Robinson, the ads also advise patients not to change their medication.

"We felt there were a lot of people who didn't necessarily even know where to go for information about this controversy," noted Bob Shapiro, vp-professional affairs for Perry. "We felt we needed to tell our customers we were on top of the situation, reassure them, and steer them in the right direction."

The ads also underscore Perry's attempts to keep its pharmacists up to date with information about the ongoing investigation of the FDA and the generics industry. "What the ad does is bring out again that pharmacists can be relied on to perform an important public service," Shapiro said. "We've been updating our pharmacists with new reports as often as twice a week."

Other chains are also working hard to keep their pharmacists in touch with the situation so they can deal readily with customer concerns.

"Communication is a very important part of our effort," said Michael Bukach, director of pharmacy and home health care services for Cleveland-based Medic Discount Drug. "The whole thing depends on the pharmacists' relationship with the patients -- if the trust is there, the customer will be reassured and will continue to buy generics."

Medic sends its pharmacists weekly bulletin updates about the situation, including the information gathered and issued by the NACDS in its Generic Drug Update. "NACDS is doing a very good job with their updates," Bukach said.

Harco Drug in Alabama has also tried to reassure patients through its pharmacists that the generics it stocks are safe and effective. "We started running a TV spot again about quality generics at Harco, and we're talking to our pharmacists," said director of pharmacy affairs Wyatt Williams. "We have a lot of different reactions by customers. In some stores, some people are very adamant now about not accepting generics, but in other areas, it hasn't made much difference. A lot of people will continue to buy on price.

"We're telling our pharmacists we'll only buy from the best of the generic companies," Williams continued. "If our pharmacists have confidence in them, that will help. We've got to reassure the public that most of these drugs are safe and effective."

However, Williams said, "If Congress jumps on this, the worst may still be ahead of us."