Comparative Analysis of Consumer Trust in Domestic and Imported Pharmaceutical Brands in the Isfahan Market: A Case Study of Clopidogrel

Consumer trust plays a central role in pharmaceutical choice because medicine-related decisions involve perceived risk, information asymmetry, and dependence on professional guidance. This study compares domestic and imported clopidogrel brands in the Isfahan market and identifies the determinants of consumer trust across the two brand categories. This applied study used a descriptive-survey design. Data were collected from ۳۶۸ valid respondents with prior experience using clopidogrel. For the direct comparison, mixed-brand users were excluded, yielding ۱۵۹ domestic-brand users and ۱۳۴ imported-brand users. Reliability and validity tests, independent-samples t-tests, effect-size estimation, and regression analyses were conducted. The results showed that imported brands scored significantly higher in perceived quality, perceived efficacy, brand reputation, country-of-origin perception, and consumer trust, whereas domestic brands showed higher availability, greater price sensitivity, and higher repurchase intention. No significant difference was found for pharmacist recommendation. Regression analyses indicated that trust in domestic brands was mainly explained by perceived quality, perceived efficacy, physician recommendation, brand reputation, availability, and price sensitivity. Trust in imported brands was mainly predicted by perceived efficacy, brand reputation, country of origin, physician recommendation, and perceived side effects. Consumer trust had a strong positive effect on repurchase intention. The findings suggest that the trust gap between domestic and imported brands is driven more by symbolic legitimacy and perceived performance than by price alone.

کلیدواژه ها:

consumer trust ، pharmaceutical brands ، domestic and imported medicines ، clopidogrel ، repurchase intention