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Healthcare experts question country's preparedness to adopt ‘generics-only’ model of prescription by doctors
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Nandita Vijay, Bengaluru
June 13 , 2019
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Even as the Union health ministry is advocating a ‘generics-only’ model
to make healthcare affordable and accessible to the common people of the
country, healthcare experts question whether the country is ready for
such a change.
In this scenario, it is necessary for the newly
formed government to focus on making good quality generic drugs
available in the market since the poor quality drugs will only
deteriorate the growth of the pharmaceutical industry and hamper India’s
position in the global market, said the experts.
The Bihar
health department on June 1, 2019 had issued a directive to the doctors
of the state government-run hospitals, to prescribe generic medicines
and essential drugs list available at hospital outlets. The letter
stated that this directive is to be enforced from June 2 onwards.
The
move by the Bihar government follows a directive from the Medical
Council of India (MCI) in 2017 which mandates every physician should
prescribe generic names and ensure rational prescription of drugs.
Subsequently, in April 2017 Prime minister Narendra Modi had also
announced plans of putting a legal framework to ensure doctors prescribe
generic medicines. This move by the government is aimed at reducing
healthcare expenses, but it should not be at the cost of quality,
experts warn.
Dr. Neelam Mohan, director - paediatric
gastroenterology & hepatology, Institute of Digestive and
Hepatobiliary Sciences, Medanta said that when generics are prescribed
medical fraternity prefers the ones manufactured by a company which
follows Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) and Good Manufacturing Practice
(GMP) regulations.
The government’s decision to ask doctors to
prescribe a generic name has made things complicated. I don’t know where
it was manufactured and whether good manufacturing regulations were
strictly followed. We need a lot more clarity about manufacturing
guidelines, said Dr Mohan.
“Branded generics manufactured by
research-based companies are backed by high-quality standards, reliable
and sophisticated supply chain infrastructure, and clinical science and
innovation. Everyone deserves to be benefited by the value branded
generics bring in the form of assured quality standards, proven safety
and efficacy, better absorption, and reduced side-effects. Generating
awareness around the value of branded generics and differences between
branded and unbranded versions is the key to aid patients in taking
informed decisions and refuse trust in the overall Indian healthcare
system,” said Amir Ullah Khan, Economist and Director of Research,
Aequitas.
The absence of an international standard drug
regulatory mechanism deters Indian doctors from trusting most generic
drugs. The doctor prescribes a drug keeping in mind the level of
efficacy assured, he said.
“When it comes to healthcare, it is
not a battle between expensive brands and cheaper generics, but a
movement for quality and safety of medication for consumers without
compromising on the expected outcomes and the Standard Treatment
Guidelines. Even as health policy circles frequently blame branded drugs
for raising healthcare costs, the argument lacks substance. In fact,
branded generics were introduced as a premise to make simple and complex
drugs available at affordable prices,” said Bejon Kumar Misra, founder
of Patient Safety and Access Initiative of India Foundation.
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