IMA welcomes PM’s push for Generic Drugs with a caveat.

8.04.2017

New Delhi

IMA welcomes PM’s push for Generic Drugs with a caveat.

 Dr K K Aggarwal National President and Dr R N Tandon Hony. Secretary General of Indian Medical Association

IMA in a statement here today welcomed the push for generic drugs coming from the Prime Minister himself.

It is the policy of Indian Medical Association to help the Government to make available all drugs at an affordable cost.

For years IMA had been demanding dedicated fair price medical shops under the Government.

IMA had welcomed the Jan Aushadhi scheme of the Prime Minister and has adopted the scheme. A Jan Aushadhi generic drugs  outlet runs from IMA hqs , New Delhi .

IMA has been promoting Jan Aushadhi centers in private hospitals. IMA feels no new legislation is required to ask the doctors to prescribe generic drugs.MCI Etiquette for doctors, already stipulated this.

The concern of the medical profession regarding spurious and substandard drugs is yet to be addressed. The Government has around only 1800 Drug Inspectors for the entire country which is grossly inadequate. Indiscriminate dispensing of antibiotics and other prescription drugs by doctors not qualified in Modern Medicine, Quacks and by Over The Counter Sales has led to emergence of serious resistant microorganisms. Strict implementation of the existing laws should suffice in this regard.

The Government itself admits that less than 0.01 percent of the drugs produced in the country are tested for quality. It will not be fair on the part of the Government to expect doctors to prescribe substandard drugs.

The Government should urgently improve the administration regarding drugs by bringing the department under Ministry of Health rather than Ministry of Chemical and Petroleum affairs. Quality assurance laboratories should be urgently installed in every state.

The loopholes in governance between the Central and State Governments should be cemented. IMA on behalf of the Modern medicine doctors assures our beloved Prime Minister that his Government should follow up with all the substantial measures to facilitate wide spread usage of generic drugs.

Points

1. IMA is for promotion of drugs in National List of essential medicines which, are prize capped and cheaper
2. IMA policy is to write NLEM and non NLEM with consent of the patient
3. IMA policy is to promote Jan Aushidhi drugs
4. No one will get Jan Aushidhi drugs if the word Jan Aushidhi is not written on the prescription. Jan Aushidhi therefore is also a brand
5. All NLEM drugs should be available under one window pharmacists
6. It should be a crime of not keeping NLEM drugs
7. CGHS. PSUs and IRDA should mandate reimbursement of only NLEM drugs unless reasoned out
8. IMA is for writing the generic name of the drug alone but we ned to mention the name of the company of whose generic the patent is going to buy. The same should also be available freely
9. The answer therefore is write Generic Name of the drug, choose from NLEM, write Jan Aushidhi or a standard company name
10. Stents have become cheaper because they are now in NLEM. All other devises and disposables should also be brought under NLEM.