It refers to BJP MP Bhartruhari Mahtab raising issue of generic drugs in Lok Sabha on 19.07.2019, rightly demanding an inquiry to find out the efficacy of generic drugs quoting recent book-study that Indian drug manufacturers were producing quality generic medicines for US and European countries with sub-standard generic medicines marketed in domestic market. Companies exporting generic medicines should be checked and required to file affidavits that generic medicines for domestic and foreign markets are of the same quality.
Such a mention may otherwise also not be baseless where generic medicines in India have Maximum-Retail-Price MRP printed at exorbitant profit-margin upto 400-percent over the ex-factory price. Looting general public through cheap-considered generic medicines must not be allowed. High profit-margin is also evident from the fact that many companies selling on-line medicines have emerged giving heavy discounts of upto 25-percent on medicines that too bearing heavy cost of packing and home-delivery.
NPPA must devise a profit-formula for all drugs including generic medicines rather than differentiating by having various categories of medicines where price-regulation is applicable only for some limited drugs. There are many medicines where different drug-manufacturers take undue advantage of their brand-popularity with prices of same medicine differing several times according to brand-popularity.
Price-revision of any medicines must be allowed only once in a year say on First January only unless approved as special case by NPPA. Gimmick packaging other than in units of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 gms, mltrs or units must not be allowed unless approved by NPPA for dose-wise administration. Rule should be to emboss or print name of medicine in a manner that name is there on every capsule or tablet thus ruling out possibility of wastage of drug in case name-portion of strip is consumed.
MADHU AGRAWAL