By Daya Sagar
It is time for the society to think why do some doctors prescribe for dosing the hyper tension patients needing Amlodipine 5 mg with branded drugs like Espin 5mg Tablet (Intas Pharma) @ Rs. 43 for 10 Tab, Amtas 5 ( Intas Pharma) @Rs.36.70 for 15 Tab when even other branded drugs containing amlodipine 5mg like, Amlip 5 ( Cipla ) @ Rs. 24.46 for 10 Tab, ampine 5 mg (SunijPharama) @Rs.10.63 for 10 Tab , Amlokind 5 ( Mankind) @ Rs.11.61 for 10 Tab , Amlogard 5 (pfizer) @Rs. 73.40 for 30 tab, Amlopres 5 ( Cipla ) @Rs36.70 for 15 Tab and Amodep 5 ( Fdc) @ Rs12.25 for 14 Tab , are also availble in the market that too are manufactured using same grade technical material and same public monitoring / inspection agencies there to over see the manufacturing ? And to add to the question Jan Aushadi Amlodipine 5mg film coated too is available @ 10Tablets just for Rs. 3.24 ( price list Oct 2015). Imagine Espin 5 mg if prescribed for a patient would cost him/ her Rs.129 per month where as Jan Aushadi Amlodipine 5mg would have l cost just Rs.9.72 per month , just 8%.
The brief data given here in can so easily demonstrate what ‘heavy’ could be the pressure from the manufacturers, the dispensers and prescription writers to defeat any complain for fair pricing of drugs on the committees like a Price Fixation Committee in general and those designated to promote Jan Aushadi Store (Kendra ) programmeas well as writing prescription by chemical name (commonly understood as generic name. Such unfair prescription writing and pricing is presently putting many patients even for the whole
left over life span under tremendous unfair killing financial burdens.
A very large Indian population, that too from amongst the senior citizens atleast 80% of whom are not covered by any pension like the retired government servants, is even subjected to life time treatments under allopathic drugging for hypertension ( BP ) / Cholesterol & Triglycerides management / diabetes and is hence being fleeced under the unfair ‘pricing’ ‘regime’ by the drug sellers with the assistance of the prescription writers. Similarly Amlodipine + Atenolol (5 mg + 50 mg) film coated Tablets could be available @ 10 Tab Rs. 4.96 and Jan Aushadi Atenolol 50 mg Tab is available @ 14 Tab for just Rs.5.57 where as Branded drugs like Amlip At 5 Mg/50 Mg Tab @ 10 tablets MRP Rs..55. OO Cipla Ltd and Amodep At 5 Mg/50 Mg Tab MRP of Rs.23 for 14 Tab are instead prescribed by some.
Keeping in view such like trading practices and for ensuring easy availability of medicines at reasonable prices to the masses, the Government of India decided to launch a country wide Jan Aushadhi Drug Store Campaign. Under the Jan Aushadhi Drug Stores programme the Government of India aimed to provide drugs to the patients at genuinely labeled prices and hence break the seller and prescription writer nexusthereby making quality medicines available at affordable prices for all, particularly the poor and disadvantaged, through exclusive outlets “Jan Aushadhi Medical Store”, so as to reduce out of pocket expenses in healthcare.JADS, now named as Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadi Kendra are to sell the medicines that are manufactured and sold under the chemical /generic name. Government has provisions like providing space to Voluntary organizations free of cost for the outlet { Jan Aushidhi Drug Store } as well as incentives like credit facility for 45 days. Such incentives are provided to attract the retailers for such sales since Branded generic medicines extend very large profit margins to the sellers {ofcourse it is alleged that there are incentives as well for the doctors who prescribe branded medicines). Bureau Of Pharma Public Sector Undertakings Of India (Set up under the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Govt. of India) has been designated to promote the concept and provide drugs to the stores.
The BPPSU was to make quality generic medicines available at affordable prices for all , to market generic drugs through the Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Kendra (PMJAK), to procure medicines from Central pharma PSUs (IDPL, HAL, BCPL, KAPL, RDPL) and Private Sectors and to monitor running of PMJAK but it too has miserably failed so far.
( Daya Sagar is a senior journalists and social activist can be reached at [email protected])
