New Delhi:
A new regulation issued by the National Medical Commission requires all doctors to prescribe generic drugs, and failure to do so could result in penalties and even suspension of a doctor’s license for a period of time.
The National Medical Commission (NMC) also urged physicians to avoid prescribing branded generic drugs in its Regulations on Professional Conduct of Registered Physicians.
Physicians are currently required to prescribe only generic drugs, but regulations issued by the Indian Medical Council in 2002 do not provide for penalties.
The NMC regulation, notified on 2 August, states that India’s out-of-pocket spending on medicines accounts for the majority of public spending on health care.
“Generic drugs are 30-80 percent cheaper than branded drugs. Therefore, prescribing generic drugs has the potential to significantly reduce health care costs and improve access to quality care,” the report said. says.
Under the Generic Drugs and Prescribing Guidelines of the Regulation, NMC defines generic drugs as “drugs that are equivalent in dosage form, strength, route of administration, quality and performance characteristics, and intended use to products on the brand/reference list.” Defined.
On the other hand, branded generic drugs are drugs whose patents have expired and which are manufactured by a pharmaceutical company and sold under the brand name of a different company.
These drugs may be cheaper than branded patented versions, but more expensive than mass-produced generic drugs. Regulations on the prices of branded generic drugs are less stringent.
The rule states that “All RMPs (Registered Physicians) must prescribe medicines using legibly written nonproprietary names, avoid unnecessary medications and unreasonable fixed-dose combination tablets, and It is necessary to prescribe drugs on a regular basis,” he said.
Violations may result in physicians being warned to pay more attention to regulations or instructed to attend workshops or academic programs on ethics, personal and social relationships, and/or professional training. .
According to the rules, a doctor’s license to practice could be suspended for a period of time in the event of repeated violations.
NMC said it preferred that prescriptions be legible and written in all caps to avoid misunderstandings. Wherever possible, prescriptions should be typed and printed to avoid errors, the report said.
Templates that can be used to streamline prescription writing are also provided by NMC.
Physicians should prescribe only generic drugs that are available on the market and available to patients. The NMC regulation also states that hospitals and local pharmacies should advocate stocking generic drugs.
Encouraging patients to purchase medicines from Jan Aushadi Kendras and other generic drug distributors, educating medical students and the public on the equivalence of generics and branded medicines, and proactively implementing generic drug adoption and access programs He added that it would be necessary to actively participate. .
(Except for the headline, this article is unedited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Featured video of the day
PM accuses Trinamor of violence in Bengal Panchayat poll
