The aim of the current study was to evaluate the knowledge and perception of the fifth stage pharmacy students (college of pharmacy/ University of Baghdad /Iraq) regarding generic medicines. This study is a cross-sectional study carried in a college of pharmacy /University of Baghdad during the period from (November 2018- March 2019). The number of students included in the current study was 168 undergraduate stager pharmacists. A questionnaire was used to collect data of the study. Nearly 86% of the students said that they had heard of generic and brand medicines, and pharmacy was the main source of knowledge regarding generic medicines (66.7%). About (33.3%) of the respondents agreed that generic medicines are bioequivalent to brand medicine. However, (38.1%) perceived generic medicines might not be the therapeutic equivalent of brand medicines. In addition, (35.1%) of the respondents believed that generics are lower in quality, which is why they are cheap and produce more side effects. Moreover, (41.1%) of the sample agreed that generic medicines should be avoided in life-threating situations. About (56.5 %) of the students were found to have a poor level of perception regarding the use of generic medicines. The majority of the fifth stage pharmacy students (college of pharmacy/ University of Baghdad /Iraq) were found to have a good knowledge but a poor level of perception about the use of generic medicines.
