Srinagar: Alleging that drug mafia was sabotaging generic drug use in the Kashmir valley, the Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) Wednesday alleged that there is a deep-rooted nexus between doctors and pharma companies that is keeping generic drugs away from patients.
President DAK Dr Nisar ul Hassan in a statement said that drug mafia is preventing affordable generic drugs from reaching the poor.
There is a deep-rooted nexus between doctors and pharma companies that is keeping generic drugs away from patients, he alleged and said that Doctors prescribe expensive brand-name drugs when equally effective cheaper generic versions are available.
He alleged that for writing these costly drugs to gullible patients, pharma
companies provide these doctors everything from luxury cars, family trips to household items.
Clinicians are fed and bred by pharma companies for pushing patients to purchase branded medicines. This unholy nexus is misleading public by disseminating false information regarding generic drugs that is preventing generic medicines from getting popular, DAK president said.
While use of generic drugs has increased over time, in Kashmir doctors continue to dole out expensive therapies for monetary gains.
Dr Hassan said that despite generic drugs save lives, doctors shy away from prescribing them and instead prescribe brand-name drugs. A generic drug is a medication that is equivalent to a brand-name in dosage, strength, route of administration, quality, safety, performance and intended use.
He said Generic drugs are 80-90 per cent less costly than brand-name drugs. Research has found that out-of- pocket costs were lowered significantly among patients who were prescribed generic medications compared with patients who have been prescribed brand-name drugs.
Additionally, patients who were prescribed generic medicines were more likely to follow their medication therapies.
He said Medical Council of India (MCI) has issued directives to doctors to prescribe generic medicines as far as possible that make it mandatory for doctors.
Following this, centre has asked all the states to ask their doctors to prescribe generic medicines. In order to push generic drugs, centre has indicated to bring in a legal framework under which doctors will have to prescribe generic medicines to patients, he said.
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