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The Malaysian pharmacists' have lack of information and/or trust in the generic manufacturing and/or approval system in Malaysia. This issue should be addressed by pharmacy educators and relevant government agencies.

Aims This study aims to assess generic medicine substitution practices among Malaysian community pharmacists. Method A cross-sectional nationwide descriptive study using a specific mailing data collection form was conducted from May 2007 through December 2007. A sample of 1,419 community pharmacies was involved in this study. Data were collected across the brand name medicine requests encountered on 14 working days and for which an equivalent generic product was available. Pharmacists' generic substitution rate, physicians' and patients' acceptance of substitution and cost saving achieved from substitution were assessed. Results Responses were received from 157 pharmacies (response rate 11.1%). The pharmacists recommended generic substitution for 84.7% (1,538/1,815) of the brand name medicine requests. While suggesting substitution, the pharmacists voluntarily consulted the physicians for 13.1% (91/695) of the recommendations which involved prescription orders. The majority of the physicians (87.9%) when consulted by the pharmacists accepted the recommendation for substitution. Meanwhile, 88.9% (1,368/1,538) of the pharmacists' substitution suggestions were accepted by the patients. The overall patients' expenditure on medicines was reduced by a total of 57.4% (Malaysian ringgit 27,266.30 or US $7,369.30; US $1.00 = Malaysian ringgit 3.70) through acceptance of substitution. Conclusion The Malaysian community pharmacists actively recommended generic substitution for brand name medicine requests which they encountered. Both the physicians and patients highly accepted the substitution recommendation and this contributed to significant reduction in patients' medicines expenditure.

Ni–Zn ferrite films were prepared by spin-spray ferrite plating method at 90 °C on glass substrates from a reaction solution of FeCl2(+FeCl3)+NiCl2+ZnCl2 and an oxidizing solution of NaNO2+CH3COONH4. The complex permeability μ=μ′−iμ″ values of the as-plated films were measured at frequencies up to 3 GHz. The Ni0.28Zn0.18Fe2.54O4 film 0.40 μm in thickness plated using the mixture of Fe2+ and Fe3+ as iron ions exhibited a high μ′ of around 42 and a resonance frequency fr of 1.2 GHz. This fr value is about nine times as high as the 130 MHz that was estimated from Snoek’s limit for the Ni–Zn ferrite bulk ceramics. Since μ′ also exhibited a maximum value of about 35, the films prepared in this study will be applicable to both rf inductors and wave absorbers for electromagnetic interference suppression.

The outcome of the present study showed that through GS recommendation by community pharmacist, consumers can save the expenditure of their prescribed medications.

graduated with a pharmacy degree from the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Malaysia in 1998. Following his pharmacy pre-registration training at Hospital Teluk Intan, Perak, he undertook his Master ' s studies in the fi eld of clinical pharmacy at USM and graduated in 2000. In 2006, he was successfully awarded a PhD degree from the