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| Jan Aushadhi Kendras end monopoly | | |
Jan Aushadhi Kendras across the country have ended the monopoly of big pharmaceutical companies by making generic drugs available at cheaper prices. These medicines are neither less in quality nor in efficacy. They are as good as branded drugs.
A generic drug, as per celebrated definition, is a medication created to be the same as an existing approved brand name drug in dosage form, safety, strength, route of administration, quality, and performance characteristics.
After the introduction of generic drugs the medicines have become affordable for the poor people. They no longer have to struggle to buy the medicines. The introduction of generic drugs is one of the biggest achievements of the government led by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.
Generic medicines cost 80 to 90 percent less than the branded medicines.
This progressive step was recommended by the erstwhile Planning Commission’s High-Level Expert Group on Universal Health Coverage very long ago but it has been implemented in letter and spirit after Narendra Modi took over as the Prime Minister of the country.
The Drug Control Department has been trying to its best to make generic medicines available at Jan Aushadhi Kendras across Jammu and Kashmir and the awareness is being created about the safety and efficacy of these medicines.
The competition has led to substantial lowering of prices for both the original brand-name product and its generic equivalents.
As per an analysis by the Generic Pharmaceutical Association carried almost seven years ago, generics accounted for 88% of the 4.3 billion prescriptions filled in the US.
While the step will surely reform the way essential medicines are distributed to patients, those in favour of the status quo on price and distribution have succeeded so far.
The code of ethics issued by the Medical Council of India in 2002 calls for doctors to prescribe drugs by their generic names only. The J&K Government has been reminding the doctors that they also need to prescribe generic medicines.
But still a lot needs to be done to ensure that doctors switch over to prescribing generic names and leave it on the patient to decide what he wants to purchase. The people who can afford can opt for branded medicine and the ones who can’t opt for generic medicine. |
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