Abstract
Generic medicines are often put on the market with shapes and PTP packaging similar to those of the original drugs, which may cause preparation and medication errors. However, there has been no comparative study on the visual resemblance between original and generic drugs. We extracted eight items related to the similarity in appearance from their interview forms, and compared them using the cluster analysis method.
According to the results, most generic drugs converged in the same group as their originals, while a few of them were classified into different groups.
In addition, there was no relationship between the result of the cluster analysis and their therapeutic classes, and no apparent intention of manufacturers to give a similar appearance to their generic products.
Our findings demonstrate the effectiveness and applicability of cluster analysis for drug classification by resemblance.
