By Daya Sagar
Union Ministry of Health has notified and included 348 allopathic drugs in the revised National list of Essential Drugs 2011.. There has been no any effective campaign sponsored/ launched by government to undo the propaganda that medicines / drugs labelled by ‘generic name’/ chemical name bearing same composition as that of one sold under a ‘brand name’ are of low quality. CIPLA and its associates marketed the same drug ( Amlodipine 5mg) as Amlip- 5 ( MRP Rs 27.70 per strip of 10 tablets Dec 2010 & MRP Rs.24.26 per strip of 10 Tabs in 2016 ) and Amlopres -5 ( MRP Rs 44.80 per strip of 15 tablet in Dec 2010 &MRP Rs 36.70 per strip of 15 tablet in 2016) but the prices at which Amlip -5 was supplied to retailers was not even one fourth of the price at which Amlopress-5 was supplied to dealers, still the dealers bought and sold same drugs under different names from same principal source.
The prices and policies prevailing in 2016 for such like dual brand names may not principally different than what they were in 2010. And, no doubt there are some companies outside the Jan Aushadi Programme that market drugs like Amlodipine 5 mg under a brand name but marked truthfully with a fair ( it will be wrong to say cheap or low) MRP (say Amodep-5 MRP 12.25 / 14 Tab sold by FDC). Jan Aushadi Programme price is still low. But very few doctors may be prescribing Amodep-5, had there been a working “prescrption audit cell” ,the type of which has also been opined by J&K Health Minister Bali Bhagat surely some good would have been done. For effective implementation of such like remedial policies government must assign lead role to pharmacologists in Drug Control Department as well as the procurement departments.
Had there been a system of prescription audit in place such practices would have been put to question. Why no authority had questioned such practices? Will the present PDP- BJP Government look into this?
The sales tax authorities as well as income tax authorities too have to be activated to see that the huge difference between the dealer price and the marked MRP is properly accounted for tax purposes. How it has so far escaped the attention of Tax officers could be another question worth investigation?.
NGOs / Social organizations have to rise to force government to promote the availability of Essential Medicines through Jan Aushadi Stores and work for undoing the false propaganda against the medicines labelled and sold by generic name.
Under the circumstances pressures need to be mounted on the Union health ministry as well as the Chief Ministers of States by the social groups for (i) opening Jan Aushadi Stores near every Government primary health center and hospital, (ii) keeping an eye on the doctors who do not prescribe the essential drugs by generic name , (iii) department of Pharmaceuticals GOI to re-fix and control on priority the prices for all the 348 the drugs in the National list of Essential drugs 2011 (iv) and ensuring that lobby of manufacturers, doctors, traders is not able to get the prices fixed on the higher side.
While fixing the prices of drugs in essential list the comparative prices of drugs that were displayed by Ram Vilas Paswan Ministry in 2009 should be kept in view (.For example branded Diclofenac Strip of 10 tablets was available at Rs. 3.10 in Jan Aushadi Store where as a branded strip on average was marked with MRP of Rs 36.70 Feb 2009 ie 10 times more. .(Similarly in Feb 2009 Tab. Ciprofloxacin 250 mg was displayed as Rs. 11/ 10 tab as against Rs. 55 / 10 Tab by others , Tab. Ciprofloxacin 500 mg JAS price was shown as Rs.21.50 / 10 Tab as against Rs. 97 for branded , Tab. Diclofenac 100 mg Rs. 3.50 / 10 Tab JAS where as Rs. 35.70 / 10 Tab branded , Cetrizine 10mg Rs.2.75 / 10 tab JAS as against Es. 20 / 10 tab for branded, Tab. Paracetamol 500 mg Rs.2.45 / 10 tab JAS as against Rs.10 / 10 Tab for branded , Tab Nimesulide 100 mg Rs. 2.70 / 10 Tab JAS as against Rs. 25/ 10 tab for Branded,Cough Syrup 110 ml liquid Rs. 13.30 JAS and Rs. 33.00 ) (v).Not only at the level of Health Departments but even The sales tax authorities as well as income tax authorities have to be activated to see that the huge difference between the dealer price and the marked MRP is properly accounted for tax purposesand how it has so far escaped the attention of Tax officers could be another question worth investigation.
(vii) And above all the Governments must appoint a regular “prescrption audit cell” ,the type of which has already been opined by J&K Health Minister Bali Bhagat and he can set an example by taking appropriate action without losing any times. It would do a lot of benefit to the sick people without any extra expenditure on the State exchequer.
(Daya Sagar is Sr Journalist & social activist can be reached at [email protected])
