PM had recently said that the government is contemplating a law that will make it binding for doctors to prescribe generic medicines.
What is the proposed move?
The proposed legislation has the potential of offering the patient a greater say in the choice of a medicine.
Making it obligatory on the doctor to prescribe a generic drug would mean that the prescription will detail the medicine’s composition.
It would leave the choice of the brand on the patient.
What should be done?
For this to be effective, the proposed law needs to go beyond the doctor-patient binary and target each link in the pharma industry’s chain of corruption.
E.g. there are more than 500 generic versions for the anti-bronchial pneumonia formula, amoxycillin and potassium clavulanate, that cost between Rs 70 to Rs 300 for a packet of 10 tablets.
A patient with a prescription detailing the composition of the medicine could still be dependent on a pharmacist to make the most suitable drug choice.
Also a pharmacist is less likely to be sensitive to a patient’s medical and financial condition than the doctor.
Therefore the pharmacists should also be brought under its ambit.
The generic medicine industry should also be revamped. Last year, 27 commonly-used medicines in the country failed quality tests.
Currently in most cases, failure to comply with standards results only in a short-term suspension of a manufacturer’s production licence. Effective deterrents should be formulated.
Adequate regulations, ample drug inspectors and lab facilities to check drug quality should be provided to ensure quality.
The move needs to be backed by adequate regulatory and legal provisions.
