Why in news?
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.
Source: The Indian Express
