Generic medicines promotion going on at a snail’s pace

Visakhapatnam: Due to lethargic attitude of government, the promotion of generic medicines has moving on at snail’s pace in the State. Though the corporate pharmaceutical companies have been registering thousands of crores business by selling branded medicines, the generic medicine sales have not crossing Rs 25 crore per annum across the state.

The sale of medicines across the country has registered Rs 2.20 lakh crore and the share of Andhra Pradesh is Rs 20,000 crore per annum. Though the government has been repeatedly announcing and chanting that generic medicines will be promoted at a larger scale, the quantum of sale is very poor.

With patent rights, hundreds of medicines particularly life saving medicines are being sold at higher costs by the pharmaceutical companies in the name of branded medicines. The middle and lower-class people are facing lots of troubles in purchasing medicines and the families have been grossly affecting to meet the medical expenditure to save their kith and kin.
Normally, the pharmaceutical companies after their patent right times, the same medicines could be manufactured by others.

The generic drugs are the copies of brand-name drugs that have the same dosage, intended use, effects and strength is like the original drug. The cost of generic medicine is very cheaper than the branded medicine. The generic drugs are available at 80 per cent lower cost than the branded one.

Both the State and Central government have assured the people generic medicines will be promoted in a bigger way. The State government insisting the doctors to prescribe generic medicines at maximum extends. However, surprisingly the government is not procuring generic medicines at bulk to supply to state hospitals. The government has been giving medicines to all the patients in the hospitals at free of cost.

“Presently, the government has not procuring generic medicines at bulk. It is true that 5 to 8 per cent generic medicines procured against the total procuring,” a senior official of Medical and Health department said.

Federation of Medical and Sales Representatives’ Association of India is also demanding the government to promote generic medicines instead of procuring medicines from private pharmaceutical companies. “There are some government pharmaceutical companies closed in the state. The federation has demanding to reopen those companies and manufacture the generic medicines. Why the government has not procuring and manufacturing generic medicines,” pointed out by general secretary of FMRAI T Kameswara Rao.

The government has opened generic medicines outlets at each major hospital in district headquarters. They are asking to procure generic medicines, but majority of the doctors are not prescribing.

When asked to respond on the issue, Chairman of Andhra Pradesh Medical Services and Infrastructure Development Corporation R Lakshmipati expressed his surprise and told The Hans India that he would discuss the issue with the principal secretary, medical and health Poonam Malakondaiah and take necessary action.

By VKL Gayatri