ECONOMIC ISSUES OF GENERIC MEDICINES: A LITERATURE REVIEW AND IMPLICATIONS FOR MOROCCO

Abstract

Introduction: Rising pharmaceutical expenditure is a major challenge for the sustainability of health systems. Generic medicines are an important lever for controlling costs, stimulating competition and improving access to treatment. However, their economic effect depends on pricing and reimbursement policies, prescribing and substitution mechanisms, the degree of competition, supply tensions, and the trust of professionals and patients. Objective: To analyse the main economic issues associated with generic medicines in the recent literature, to identify the mechanisms through which they influence prices, pharmaceutical expenditure and financial accessibility, and to discuss the implications for Morocco. Methods: A structured literature review was conducted from 1 January 2015 to 10 August 2026 in Scopus and PubMed. The Scopus query identified 855 documents (743 articles and 112 reviews), and a consolidated selection of 100 PubMed references was added. After merging, 955 records were deduplicated by title normalisation; 55 duplicates were removed, leaving 900 unique references. An initial title-based screening was applied according to economic, pharmaceutical-policy, access, prescribing and substitution criteria. Results: After deduplication, 900 unique references were examined by title. Of these, 439 were excluded and 461 were retained for abstract and/or full-text verification. Conclusion: Generic medicines represent a major lever for pharmaceutical sustainability, but their effectiveness depends on an integrated policy combining price, competition, reimbursement, prescribing, substitution, quality and availability. For Morocco, the ongoing extension of universal health coverage reinforces the relevance of such a strategy.   Received Date: June 19, 2026 Accepted Date: July 10, 2026 Published Date: August 01, 2026 Available Online at: https://www.ijsrisjournal.com/index.php/ojsfiles/article/view/805