Taking inspiration from PM’s commitment towards Jan Aushadhi write prescriptions by Generic name

PM is ‘single handedly’ taking stresses on all economic & social fronts like Jan Aushadhi Pariyojna.
Even after 14 Yrs of launch Jan Aushadi Medicines have not taken even 0.5% of Pharma Market?
Why so when Jan Aushadhi Medicines bear very Genuine Price tags as compared to Branded Generic Medicines?

Daya Sagar

Branded generic medicines were being sold and are still being sold in India at highly / unreasonably inflated prices , as high as even 4 to7 or 8 times more than a possible fair price for a patent free drug ( at a particular time Amlodipine – 5mg Tab Jan Auashadi Rs.5/ 10 Tab, Amodep-5 Rs.15.55/14 Tab, Amlokind-5 Rs. 22.15/ 10 tab, Amanat- 5 Rs.22.37/10 tab , Amlip-5 Rs.24.97/10 tab, Amtas 5 Rs. 74.93/30 tab, Amlovas 5 Rs.37.46/15 Tab, Mold 5mg Rs.39/10 Tab,Samloday 5 mg Rs.53.56/10 Tab ,Espin-5 Rs.66.50/10 Tab) which could be well seen from the price labels of drugs be sold by chemical/ generic name through JAN AUSHADI Stores (initiated in 2008 .under Jan Aushadhi Compaign Scheme and now being handled under Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana(PMBJP after 2016 or so . But even after over 15 years of the Government of India having conceived the programme if one goes to the financial report 2022-23 of the handling Fanchise, Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices Bureau of India -PMBI (upto it was being handled upto 2019-20 by Bureau of Pharma PSUs of India BPPI), in terms of Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP), one would find that in a country of 650000 villages total value of drugs/ appliances supplied to distributors/ Jan Aushadhi Stores / shops ( revenue from operations ) has been only Rs.790.1 Crore in 2022-23 in a country where may be as per rough estimates out of INR 400000 Cr worth MRP label market around INR 320000 cr to 360000 Cr drugs are free from any patent rights / as generic branded or generic medicines are being sold in domestic market. Imagine how much undue burden was still being put on an average Indian. No doubt after Prime Minister Narendra Modi took intimate interest in promoting the programme after 2014 there has been some marked improvement looking the financial data of the 2014-2015 report of BPPI which mentioned revenue from operations as only Rs.5.62 Cr and for 2017 -18 as just Rs.102.1 Cr.
One would ask even when the Jan Aushadhi drugs are available at so low prices in comparison to the drugs sold under brand names in trade then why the sales have been so low even after PM has adopted the programme as his intimate flag ship programme ? Why the ventors are not rushing to open Janaushadhi outlets even when the BPPI /PMBI offers incentives to outlet seekers ? The answer well lies in facts that the agencies/ departments that have been given the task for implementing the venture have not so far worked sincerely to carry ahead the mission of the Prime Minister by even atleast ensuring that the doctors in Government hospitals write prescription by chemical name. The H&ME Departments have not been religiously working for enforcing writing prescriptions by chemical name even when in ‘states’ like J&K somewhere in 2017 orders were issued for establishment of prescription audit units in Government institutions to work on regular day basis but that have remained only a formality. Hardly one may find ‘doctors’ in J&K government hospitals writing prescriptions by chemical name even in emergency/OPD GMC Jammu , GNR Hospital , not even those government govt doctors who are allowed private practice while in their clinics and like barring a very few doctors in routine, what to talk of motivating/ forcing private clinics / doctors for writing prescription by chemical name atleast for patent free drugs.. Yes there may be a few cases where doctors in routine prefer writing prescription by chemical name as far as possible like the other day when the writer was so much impressed ( rather even surprised ) while laying hands last 21st December on a prescription very neatly written by chemical names by Dr. Nishu Gupta (skin specialist) in Sub District Hospital Sarwal Jammu. Such doctors must be recognised.
It is not out of place to mention here that medicines if prescribed under generic/ technical name/ chemical name would make even the manufacturers of a medicine using same technical grade material to mark their drug with a competitive MRP which most of them generally do not do when they market with a brand name for selling with the assistance of the ‘Prescription Writer’..
No doubt with coming up of Jan Aushadhi primitive indications are there where some manufacturers have either brought down their branded product MRP or atleast they have not increased further but that is too less an achievement for a 15 yr old Pariyojna.
Unfairly marked MRP fleeces all of the society, whether rich or poor, ofcourse the rich may be able to bear the brunt and the economically weaker / poor may be further crushed or may even ‘skip’ taking timely treatment
No doubt there has been some noticeable increase in the sale of ‘generic’ medicines labeled with chemical names as supplied though Jan Aushadhi Shops by BPPI/ Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Bureau of India ( PMBI) after 2018 but credit for that goes only to Prime Minister of India and not to the agencies/ officers who have been retained to do the work on ground since 2008 which could be seen from the Rs.790.1 Cr turnover of PMBI in 2022/2023 in proportion to total market available ( INR 320000 cr to Rs 360000 Cr ). But looking at the facts like (i) that the JA generic drugs are genuinely priced much lower than those sold under brand names by private companies (ii) the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Bureau of India ( PMBI) provides financial cost & infrastructure support to those who take to starting such shops/ Kendras the sales have been very much frustrating.
Had the Member Pharma PSEs of BPPI/PMBI, the Administration in Health & Medical Education Departments and political masters worked even with ‘a quarter’ of as commitment with what as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been working on day basis for promoting Jan Aushadhi drugs a couple of lakhs of INR would have been saves from draining out into the ‘pockets’ of those in unfair trade of marketing drugs with inflated MRPs with the assistance of prescription writers (prescription writing has to be promoted and enforced by Health administration and PM is not supposed to come to enforce it).Ofcourse civil society is also supposed to assist the programmes of PM by proving feedback from ground and the status shows social groups too have failed in promoting the programme. Writer has been closely following the JA since 2010 and is of the opinion that more work for promotion of JA has been done by consumers who have been messaging their friends/ relations than those in medical profession.
To be continued

(The author is Sr Journalist, social activist and analyst J&K affairs).