Suitable changes in drug rules required to motivate chemists to dispense generics: Amboth Raj

To make medicines available at affordable prices and to encourage more pharmacy stores to take up dispensing generic equivalent to what doctors usually prescribe to patients, there is a need to bring amendment in the existing laws, according to Amboth Raj, president of Andhra Pradesh Drug Association.

As the Centre is planning to come up with more generic drug stores it is important to amend the laws which will safeguard the interest of the pharmacists who are willing to dispense the generic drugs in place of branded equivalents prescribed by the doctors.

"Today many doctors and private practitioners prescribe costly medicines to the patients. Even though the same drug equivalents at lower prices are available in the market they prefer prescribing the branded drugs due to commissions. This unethical practice is going on everywhere in the country. Though the government had passed orders to all doctors to prescribe drugs only with generic names not many are following this order and because of which the patients are bearing the financial burden," said Raj.

As there is a strong manufacturer and drug distributors lobby in the state promoting more branded drugs for their own self gains, it is difficult for the generic drug store owners to compete with them. Moreover there is a very low awareness among the people about the generic drugs. Many people feel that low costs drugs are ineffective and  are of poor quality. This misunderstanding should be removed among the public to attract them toward the generic drug stores.

There are other nefarious elements among the drug distributors who are willingly opposing the setting up of generic drug stores fearing loss to their business. For instance the two existing medicine shop owners in Gandhi hospital had vehemently opposed the setting up of the Jeevandhara generic drug stores and High Court intervention was required in the matter.

To counter these self interested business lobbyists and to protect the interests of generic drug stores owners, Amboth Raj has suggested that the state government to bring in amendment in the law so that charitable trusts and other generic drug dispensers do not get entangled into the legal litigations, as there are possibilities that some competitors may hatch a conspiracy and create legal problems for the generic drug store owners for their self gain.