I sometimes write about the pharmaceutical business in my job as a reporter, and I have done several stories on doctor’s prescribing methods. Most doctors that I know say that they’re taught to use the name of the drug (ie, the generic name), and that patients only know the brand names because they’re bombarded by advertising.
The use of electronic prescriptions is about to pass 50%, and most hospitals and large private practices use a system that allows them to enter the name of a drug and see which brands of that drug are available. It also keys them in to what the co-pay would be for each one.
Doctors know that generics are the same as the brand names in terms of quality, and that patients are more likely to fill a prescription that costs $8 than $80.
I would expect that a cardiologist would know the brand names of the different statin medications for treating cholesterol (Lipitor, Torvast, Crestor, etc.), but I wouldn’t expect him to know every single brand for every single condition.