A cohort study investigating the impact of communication intervention on purchase behavior of chronic patients towards online generic medicine alternatives

Chronic diseases are usually managed by patients over a lifetime with the help of medication and regular health checkups. Recurring expenses incurred by chronic patients on medicine to manage their chronic illness adversely affect their household income as well as increase household expenditure. Schemes such as the Prime Minister Generic Medicine Scheme (PMBJP) launched by the Government of India aims to decrease out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditure on medicine, especially for chronic patients who have recurring expenditures on medicine. With a focus on PMBJP scheme which provides cheap generic alternatives to chronic patients, this cohort study has been undertaken to investigate if using the Internet to access to these generic medicines online can reduce OOP expenditure on medicine for chronic patients. The study observed that the out-of-pocket expenditure on medicine for branded consumers is significantly higher than the expenditure on medicine for JAM (Jan Aushadhi Medicine) generic medicine consumers. The study urges that a communication intervention providing awareness about alternative access to JAM (Jan Aushadhi Medicine) generic medicines online lead to a significant shift in consumption behavior of chronic patients towards accessing these medicines online. The study found that although the PMBJP scheme has the potential of decreasing OOP expenditure on medicine for chronic patients, the scheme needs to be expanded towards online platforms run by government to ensure ease of access, increased availability which could play an instrumental role in decreasing the OOP expenditure on medicine for chronic patients.