Doctors and prescriptions have become an integral part of
our lives. But when it comes to buying medication, a dilemma often arises:
branded medicines with catchy names or their less-glamorous, yet equally
effective, generic counterparts? While we may have relied on
"chemist-approved" remedies in the past, understanding generic drugs
can empower us to make informed choices for our health and finances.
Now, the question is which prescribed medicine we need to
buy and why? A quick glance at a doctor's prescription often reveals a
predominance of brand names. However, it's crucial to understand that generic
medicines contain the same active ingredients and offer the same therapeutic
benefits as their branded counterparts, often at a fraction of the cost.
The answer is obviously "Generic medicine".
Generic drug is a medication created to be the same as an already marketed
brand-name drug in dosage form, safety, strength, route of administration,
quality, performance characteristics, and intended use. Generic medications on
average are 80–85% less expensive than brand-name medications.
According to Food & Drug Administration (FDA, USA)
generic medications can cost, on average, 80 to 85 percent less than the
brand-name equivalents. Brand-name prescription drugs are typically more
expensive because of the higher initial costs to develop, market, and sell a
brand-new prescription drug.
Once the patent expires, other companies can manufacture and
sell the medicine as a "generic medicine". Generic medicine can be
made without repeating research and testing, which results in a significant
drop in medicine prices.
A generic medicine is required to be the same as a
brand-name medicine in dosage, safety, effectiveness, strength, stability, and
quality, as well as in the way it is taken. Generic medicines also have the
same risks and benefits as their brand-name counterparts.
Non-proprietary name is the name for the active ingredient
in the medicine that is decided by an expert committee and is understood
internationally (WHO, 2013a).
Thus, paracetamol/acetaminophen is the non-proprietary name
(generic name) while Crocin/Pyrigesic/Meftal/Tylenol etc. are brand names.
"Venus Remedies Limited" (Solan, HP) is one of
India's most crucial generic drug companies. It has a significant presence in
the Baddi region. Since the 1980's, the company has been on the cutting edge of
creating and making high-quality generic medicines.
"Lack of branding" is one of the key reasons why
generic medicines are not famous in India. Brand names matter in our country
which includes retail goods, electronics, groceries, and consumer durables. And
even in the generic drug business, brand names still hold the major sales.
In generic medicines, traders get a maximum of 35% margin.
Generic business is only about 10% to 14% of which 7-8% is dispensed directly
by the Doctors. Traders supported the idea of capping the margins. However,
small scale industry may get affected as traders might not push less popular
brands.
Let us join hands to request and insist our doctors to
prescribe the composition of the drug they are administering to the patients.
This process not only help poor and middle class people of our country but also
the small scale medical drug producing pharma companies as well. This is for
the wellbeing of our society and above all for the sake of everyone living in
our country.
(The writer is Associate Professor & Head, Department of
Chemistry Nar Bahadur Bhandari Government College (NBBGC), Gangtok, Sikkim.
Views are personal)
