To the Editor: In Australia, the rising cost of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (a comprehensive system for subsidising prescription medicines for the whole population) has led to the Australian Government instituting a number of cost-saving strategies.

One of these strategies is to encourage the use of generic medicines. However, generic prescribing is a contentious issue among Australian prescribers. The debate has centred on issues related to bioequivalence, quality and safety.1,2 Further, previous studies have shown that changing existing prescribing behaviour is difficult.3,4