In which situation is a pharmacist not mandated to disclose the availability of a generic drug?

A pharmacist is not mandated to disclose the availability of a generic drug when the generic is not in stock. In such a scenario, when the pharmacist cannot offer a generic alternative, there’s no obligation to inform the patient about its potential availability since the patient cannot choose to switch to a generic that is not physically present for dispensing.

In contrast, if the pharmacist can provide the generic option but chooses not to disclose it for other reasons, such as a prescriber specifying a brand, the pharmacist would have to adhere to those requests regardless of the availability of generics. Additionally, patient characteristics, such as being a senior citizen, do not exempt pharmacists from their responsibilities regarding generic drug disclosure. Therefore, the stock status of the generic drug directly influences the pharmacist's obligation to disclose its availability.