title: International experiences of promoting generics use and its implications to China.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To summarize international experiences in promoting use of generics and to extract essence for China's reference.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a commentary of two systematic reviews about policies to promote use of generics and its implications to China.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Price, reimbursement, and generic substitution policies in European countries, and approaches in low and middle income countries in promoting market competition, appropriate intellectual property right protection strategy, and necessary demand side incentives, are all meaningful for China to contain soaring pharmaceutical expenditures, and to maintain the achievements and outcomes of the national health system reform.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Effective promotion of generics use must be practice based on the real situation. Tailor-made and comprehensive measures are needed to address both demand and supply sides barriers before achieving tangible cost containment effect without unexpected side effects.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Hospital Administration, MoH, BRICS Medicines Alliance; International Network for Rational Use of Drugs (INRUD) China Core Group, Pharmaceutical Policy Research Theme Group, Beijing, P.R. China. sunjingx@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D003363:Cost Control / Q000191:economics; D016527:Drug Costs; D004345:Drug Industry / Q000191:economics; D016568:Drugs, Generic / Q000191:economics* / Q000600:supply & distribution; D004465:Economic Competition; D017850:Economics, Pharmaceutical; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D038622:Internationality
chemical_list: D016568:Drugs, Generic
keywords: Generics; generics substitution; market competition; price; reimbursement