Cross sectional study of drug substitution in community pharmacies in the Ugandan capital city

Background The escalating cost of pharmaceuticals is a global challenge and major hindrance to access to medicines in developing countries. Half of the Ugandan population lacks reliable access to essential medicines and out of pocket expenditure by patients is as high as 80% [1]. Generic medicines provide an opportunity for savings on medicine expenditure due to their cheaper price [2,3]. Generic substitution has been recommended by World Health Organisation and is widely practised in Africa as long as the prescriber does not forbid nor the patient decline [4]. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the nature and prevalence of drug substitution in community pharmacies in Kampala, the capital city of Uganda. Dispensers’ perceptions were also explored.