Doctors In Bangalore Hospitals Directed To Prescribe Generic Drugs

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The regional government is making it mandatory for all pharmacies, government health centers, and hospitals to use generic drugs.

In addition, the government is directing officers of the drugs control department to monitor the prescriptions issued by doctors.

To ensure the directive is complied with, the ministry will do random checks of hospitals.

Strict action will be taken against doctors or pharmacists at government hospitals who fail to prescribe generics drugs.

With the exception of some rare life saving drugs, the government shall provide enough stocks at drug stores across the district hospitals for the next six months so that doctors have no excuses like a shortage of generics.

Bangalore Health minister, B. Siramulu said, "We will initiate strict against those who violate this rule.

The nexus between doctors and pharmacies
The state health ministry has taken this step to break the nexus between doctors and pharmaceutical companies.

It has been noticed that doctors prescribe expensive antibiotics and painkillers produced by multinational pharmaceutical companies even when generic alternatives are available.

Explaining the modus operandi, M Janardhan Swamy, a social activist stated, "Unlike other consumer products, patients coming to government hospitals cannot choose from brands or don't know their generic equivalent. They buy the particular brand the doctor prescribes.

Drug companies spend huge amounts to promote their brands and convince doctors to prescribe their product over others. In return, doctors are given lucrative gifts and incentives, an unethical practice the government never tried to address so far.''

A little about generic drugs
Generic drugs are simply branded drugs that use a different name. These are medicines with active ingredients identical to those of patented brand-name drugs.

They are much cheaper but are therapeutically equivalent to the usually costlier branded medicines and help patients get a discount when they need expensive treatment.

Generics are considerably cheaper than the branded drugs, because they are not patent-protected and are restricted by price control.

The manufacturer does not have to incur the cost of the original drug research, testing promotion, and packaging or marketing.

As a result, generic drugs are often sold for a fraction of the cost of branded medicines, which are marketed at a higher price as a way to recoup development costs.


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