Friday 30 August 2013

High Cholesterol May Be Particularly Bad for Middle-Aged Men

Middle-aged men with high cholesterol levels are at greater risk for a first heart attack than similar women are, Norwegian researchers report.

Cholesterol blood tests are done to help assess your risk of developing heart disease or stroke. If your risk is high then you will usually be advised to take a statin medicine to lower your cholesterol level. Lowering your cholesterol level reduces your risk, even if your cholesterol level is normal. Other factors that can reduce your risk include: not smoking, choosing healthy foods, a low salt intake, regular physical activity, keeping your weight and waist size down and drinking alcohol in moderation. Ensuring your blood pressure level is not raised (or taking medication to lower it if it is high) is also important.
Cholesterol is a lipid (fat chemical) that is made in the cells in your body. Many different cells make cholesterol but cells in the liver make about a quarter of the total. Although many foods contain cholesterol, it is poorly absorbed by the gut into the body. Therefore, cholesterol that you eat in food has little effect on your body and blood cholesterol level. A certain amount of cholesterol is present in the bloodstream. You need some cholesterol to keep healthy. Cholesterol is carried in the blood as part of particles called lipoproteins. There are different types of lipoproteins, but the most relevant to cholesterol are:
  • Low-density lipoproteins carrying cholesterol - LDL cholesterol. This is often referred to as bad cholesterol. This is the one mainly involved in forming atheroma. Atheroma is the main underlying cause of various cardiovascular diseases (see below). The majority of cholesterol in the blood is LDL cholesterol, but how much varies from person to person.
  • High-density lipoproteins carrying cholesterol - HDL cholesterol. This is often referred to as good cholesterol. This may prevent atheroma forming.
Diagram of an artery showing patches of atheroma
Patches of atheroma are like small fatty lumps that develop within the inside lining of arteries (blood vessels). Atheroma is also known as atherosclerosis and hardening of the arteries. Patches of atheroma are often called plaques of atheroma.

Over months or years, patches of atheroma can become larger and thicker. So in time, a patch of atheroma can make an artery narrower. This can reduce the blood flow through the artery. For example, narrowing of the coronary (heart) arteries with atheroma is the cause of angina.

Sometimes, a blood clot (thrombosis) forms over a patch of atheroma and completely blocks the blood flow. Depending on the artery affected, this can cause a heart attack, a stroke, or other serious problems.

Cardiovascular diseases are diseases of the heart (cardiac muscle) or blood vessels (vasculature). However, in practice, when doctors use the term cardiovascular disease they usually mean diseases of the heart or blood vessels that are caused by atheroma.

In summary, cardiovascular diseases caused by atheroma include: angina, heart attack, stroke, transient ischaemic attack (TIA) - sometimes called mini-stroke - and peripheral vascular disease. In the UK, cardiovascular diseases are a major cause of poor health and the biggest cause of death.

Treatment to reduce the risk of developing a cardiovascular disease is usually offered to people with a high risk. That is:
  • People with a risk assessment score of 20% or more. That is, if you have a 2 in 10 chance or more of developing a cardiovascular disease within the next 10 years.
  • People with an existing cardiovascular disease (to lower the chance of it getting worse, or of developing a further disease).
  • People with diabetes. If you have diabetes, the time that treatment is started to reduce cardiovascular risk depends on factors such as: your age, how long you have had diabetes, your blood pressure and if you have any complications of diabetes.
  • People with certain kidney disorders.
The following people should also have medication to lower their cholesterol level, regardless of any calculated risk. The risk calculator may not necessarily take these people into account who have a high risk of developing atheroma:
  • People with a total cholesterol (TC) to HDL ratio of 6 or more (TC/HDL = 6 or more).
  • People with inherited lipid disorders.

Monday 26 August 2013

DECLINE IN NEW DRUG LAUNCH :MYTH OR REALITY

As per current scenario theres is wide increase pharmaceutical research and development ,times,cost and spending but there are concerns that these efforts are not reflected in the no of new drugs being brought to the market it is widely reported that there is a decline in no of new drugs in market .well there can be various reasons for that ,but as per the heading i will talk with facts .
The exact no of drugs approved till now in india 
The exact no of drugs that are approved till now in india are given as 
From 1971 - AUGUST 2013 
Total no of drugs approved from 1971 to August 2013
YEAR
NO OF DRUGS APPROVED
1971-1981
351
1982-1992
321
1993-1998
157
1999
23
2000
28
2001
41
2002
56
2003
39
2004
76
2005
122
2006
161
2007
188
2008
264
2009
208
2010
221
2011
79
2012
43
August 2013
23
TOTAL NO OF DRUGS TILL NOW
2401

well this as this data shows there is a decline in no of new drugs approved in year 2011,12 and if we talk about year 2013 it is also dont have a hope of crossing the no hundred 

it is clearly visible from the above data that how the new drug development has declined from year 2010 India’s population is just over 1.2 billion at present and projected to rise to 1.7 billion by 2050 and India will become the world’s most populous country.This projection shows that the demand of drugs will rise in coming years. There is a need, at national level to acquire an expertise in the field of R&D and to develop the technology to build up capacity in innovation and production of the drugs to ensure that essential drugs at affordable prices are available to the vast population. The reasons for this downfall can be given as follows
THE NEW GOVERNMENT POLICIES
The new government policies are widely affecting the new drug launch policies of the company. the total focus of the government is on the generic drugs but we should must not neglect the fact that new disease needs new drug and development of new drugs is the only policy which can help us to gain control over wide spreading diseases.
THE NEW PATENT REGIME IN INDIA
While the large firms are gearing up to face the challenges of the patent regime, the small scale segment of the Indian pharmaceutical industry suffers from various inadequacies including lack of expertise, training and finance for technological upgradation and adoption of good manufacturing practices (GMP) to meet global quality standards; limited exposure and expertise on IPR issues; limited adoption of information technology (IT) techniques in production and processes.
THE LEAST INVESTMENT IN R&D SECTOR
The total no of investment in the new drug development has also decreased these years ow or negligible R&D  expenditure which affects the ability of SMEs to offer innovative solutions; and the inability of SMEs to access finance on easy terms for import of capital goods and undertaking advertising and marketing activities.
THE DRUG PRICE CONTROL 
price control tends to reduce the market shares of both domestic and foreign companies, and this factor by
itself should not cause the relative share of foreign companies to decline. At the same time, it needs to be noted that in certain ways, domestic companies are able to offset to some extent the adverse effect of price control on their market share.

Most of the MNCs pharma companies have stopped launching latest products in India after 1995 though they have been introducing them in other parts of the world. 
Overall, it seems there are no immediate danger of price rise due to the new patent system, especially because much of these patented applications/drugs are very similar to the off-patent drugs and offer possibilities of substitution. However, there may be some medium to long run price effects of the new patent system, when far superior patent protected drugs come into the market, whether from Indian or foreign firms. And, this may result in significant loss of consumer welfare.

Table shows number of Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) groups Approvals (1999-2011)

Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) groups
Number of Approvals
A - Alimentary tract and metabolism
192
B - Blood and blood forming organs
39
C - Cardiovascular system
186
D – Dermatologicals
108
G - Genito urinary system and sex hormones
56
H - Systemic hormonal preparations (excluding sex hormones and insulins
10
J - Antiinfectives for systemic use
204
L - Antineoplastic and immunomodulating agent
102
M - Musculo-skeletal system
145
N - Nervous system
232
P - Antiparasitic products, insecticides and repellents
20
R - Respiratory system
115
S - Sensory organs
74
V – Various
23


THE FOCUS ON GENERICS 
One man named AAMIR KHAN just showed on his show how generics are important and rest of india started believing  his words well i am not saying that generics are not important but the fact is that you can never kill innovation on the name of generics and now a days even the establish companies are looking through the option of generics by sacrificing there  research

THERE ARE MANY MORE COUNTRIES WHICH DON'T RECOGNIZE PATENT 
Countries like south korea Switzerland and Italy don't even have patent law till 1960 and 70 but they have to introduce the law becoz there local investors were looking forward to get their patent by other countries which caused sudden shortage of new drugs throughout the countries.

well these were my views. As in my last post also i didn suggested any of the solution  and same is also here becoz i want to know the suggested answers from my viewers .......... so please come forward and answer the questions

Thursday 22 August 2013

Why Drug Shortages Happen—and What to Do

Patient access to medicines is vital for the health of patients and the economy. The issue of drug shortages demands attention and collaboration from everyone involved in providing life-saving medicines. This includes both the pharmaceutical companies producing brand-name medications and generic drug manufacturers (whose products accounted for nearly 80 percent of prescriptions filled last year), as well as wholesalers, distributors, pharmacies and healthcare providers.

Shortages affect less than 1 percent of all drugs on the market, and most shortages involve generic medicines, with the FDA specifically calling attention to growing shortages among “older, sterile injectable drugs”. However, any shortage of medicines can deeply impact patients. Biopharmaceutical companies have worked to prevent drug shortages in advance, and will continue to work closely with the FDA to prevent manufacturing disruptions.


Why drug shortages happen
The factors that contribute to drug shortages are complex and multidimensional. They can occur for a variety of reasons found throughout the supply chain, including:
  • shifts in clinical practices
  • wholesaler and pharmacy inventory practices
  • raw material shortages
  • changes in hospital and pharmacy contractual relationships with suppliers and wholesalers
  • adherence to distribution protocols mandated by the FDA
  • individual company decisions to discontinue specific medicines
  • natural disasters
  • manufacturing challenges
When a shortage is expected
In the instance a shortage is anticipated, an innovator or generic manufacturer is encouraged to notify the FDA in order to address, avert, and mitigate the problem. In the event that the only version of a medically necessary drug is going to be discontinued, the manufacturer is required to inform the FDA six months in advance.
Pharmaceutical manufacturers have stepped up the voluntary reporting of anticipated events that could lead to drug shortages. According to the FDA, in 2011, this early notification helped prevent over 195 shortages. The biopharmaceutical industry will continue to work with FDA and other stakeholders to improve upon existing reporting requirements. Addressing anticipated occurrences of a drug shortage early in the process helps both healthcare providers and manufacturers identify treatment alternatives more efficiently, and we will continue to work with FDA to improve upon existing reporting requirements.


The problem of price gouging
When a drug shortage happens or one is anticipated, a “gray market” may spring up, with the potential for price gouging. The practice of price gouging by secondary wholesalers, which largely comprise the “gray market” is unacceptable and presents serious concerns for patient safety, as it cannot be assured that the products have been handled in a way that maintains their integrity. The manufacturer of a drug has no influence or control over the prices charged by a secondary wholesaler to a hospital or pharmacy.

In some cases, we are able to determine why there is a shortage, in other cases, we simply have no idea. As a first step we support the passage of the current bipartisan legislation in the House and Senate that would help the FDA prevent some shortages from occurring if they were notified about a manufacturing problem or planned discontinuation. FDA data indicate that 54% of drug shortages are related to product quality problems followed by lack of capacity or other manufacturing issues. About half the time manufacturers do not disclose the reason for a shortage. many drug shortages are the result of quality issues in the manufacturing process, loss of a manufacturing site, delays and capacity issues, shortages of raw materials-- particularly a single source of an Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient, product discontinuations, and secondary shortages of a therapeutic alternative resulting from a primary shortage. We recognize that there is no one cause of drug shortages, and therefore no one solution.


We are pleased to see that other facets of drug shortages, including economic factors, are being considered, but we are not currently in a position to draw any conclusions given a lack of sound data. A recent report by the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation describes the economic analysis of drug shortages. It identified a number of possible factors that influence drug shortages and noted that “Shortages have been concentrated in drugs where the volume of sales and drug prices were declining in the years preceding a shortage, suggesting that manufacturers are diverting capacity from shrinking

lines of business to growing ones.” It has been suggested that Medicare reimbursement policies may be partially to blame for drug shortages. While we believe this is an area that should be explored further, we are hesitant to focus on any one potential cause given the limited data and the numerous factors that contribute to shortages. It will be important to learn from other stakeholders in the supply chain including pharmaceutical manufacturers, wholesalers, group purchasing organizations, and others in order to fully assess these causes and solutions to this public health crisis.
Other incentives for manufacturers to stay or re-enter the market should be examined. For example, tax credits awarded to companies for developing new technologies in the production process should be explored. We believe that any incentives should be geared toward increasing production capacity and upgrading facilities in order to meet demand for critically important generic injectables.
In conclusion, drug shortages continue to be a very serious public health crisis, and compromise our ability to treat adult and pediatric cancer, to feed newborns intravenously who cannot eat, to relieve pain, to battle serious infections, and provide care when the most appropriate drug is unavailable. While some causes are known, others are not quite as clear.

Drug Shortages Background and Policy Options
Shortages of prescription drugs in the United States have gained increasing attention in recent years due to the scope and severity of the drugs in short supply. The majority of these shortages occur in drugs that are generic injectables, often administered in a hospital or clinic setting. The shortages have been occurring for anti-cancer drugs, anesthetics, pain, and nutritional drugs, all of which play crucial roles in the care of patients. The result of drug shortages is that caregivers must scramble to find the drug, or use an alternative if one is available. Many caregivers have expressed concern that even if a therapeutic alternative exists, it is likely an older drug which may have more severe side effects or negatively interact with other medications the patient is taking. Further, drug shortages have caused widespread fear among caregivers who are deeply concerned that care could be delayed, rationed, or is provided in a suboptimal manner to stretch doses and preserve scarce supplies.

Causes of drug shortages are many and complex. Manufacturing issues that lead to drug shortages include product quality issues that result in production halts or recalls, product discontinuations, and unavailability of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) or other raw materials. Secondary shortages—or shortages that occur based on shifts in market demand caused by an initial shortage of another drug—are also common. Other contributing causes to drug shortages include quality issues that arise from the ever-increasing reliance on foreign ingredient and manufacturing sources and a lack of FDA resources to expedite approval of supplemental new drug applications and conduct foreign inspections.
While not a cause of drug shortages, just-in-time inventory practices by product distributors and practice sites have removed the buffer previously provided by larger inventories and resulted in an immediate impact of drug shortages on patient care.
While information on the root cause of each drug shortage is not always publicly available, the cause of many shortages can be traced back to a manufacturing processes or facilities that result in substandard end products. These manufacturing issues are compounded by constraints on capacity over the last few years that has resulted in fewer manufacturers producing critical drugs. When one manufacturer experiences a production interruption, other companies must ramp up production of their product to meet market needs. This increased production is sometimes, but not always, possible. In the case of sole-source drugs, this situation almost instantly results in a shortage situation.

You do not need to speculate that budget strapped states lack the resources to keep gray market drug wholesalers in check. Local police, state bureaus of insurance, state Drug Enforcement Agencies (DEA) and state Medicaid program integrity and fraud prevention also all lack resources and all remain uneducated about the nature and scope of this problem.
 I worry that we have not seen the worst of it with oral drugs. New FUL pricing and the wave of oral drugs going off patent, consolidation in the PBM/pharmacy sector, and new and reemerging drug shortages of oral antimicrobials all indicate that these problems are going to get much worse before they get ANY better.
Amplifying the problem is the fact that certain shortages that could be eased a little if certain compounding pharmacies could justifiably participate in tax payer funded programs. Instead, these pharmacists hands are tied by red tape and reimbursement issues. Patients, doctors and pharmacists are left to go without, use drugs that might not be reliable, and in certain cases, patients who can afford to will pay higher our of pocket costs, and/or wrongfully held financially liable for increased costs. Other patients will turn to unregulated Internet pharmacies, unscrupulous providers offering improper (and often cash based) treatments, and oh yes, let's not forget the patients who resort to veterinary medicine when and it is available.

Regulators, legislators, and industry do not cooperate, communicate, nor are they honest with each other resulting in blinded, imbalanced regulation, legislative non sequitors (ASP, AMP), and unprincipled trade practices.
In their financial reports many generic manufacturers cite the high number of ANDA's pending at FDA without having made any accommodation for those approvals in their capacity plans or capital expenditures.
FDA reviews and approves ANDAs without regard to the ability of any applicant to actually satisfy market demand.  User fees may somewhat gate the number of filings, but not enough to infuse rationality into the ganeric markets.  One approved ANDA representing a manufacturing capcity to support 5% market share can crash the price for the remaining 95% of the market.  Once the price is down, it is nearly impossible to bring it back to a responsible level that allows for both value contribution and profitablity.
Nor has there ever been any serious discussion to the value of FDA reviewing more than 5 (or whatever number) filings for the same molecule...more than ~5 competitors and the value, regardless of profitability, is fractured.  The math to this issue is simple (with no reference to validation batches)...if each applicant assumes a 25% market share target, then with 5 approvals, the market will be at 125% supply with generic price above or about 10% brand published pricing.  With 10 approvals, the market goes to over 200% supply and the price goes at or below 1% of brand published pricing.  Of course, some competitors will assume less than 25% market share, some will assume more than 25%, some pricing will hold higher, some will go lower.  The point is that once the supply is greater than 125%, why bother reviewing applications or giving approvals, the leftovers can be held in case someone drops out (first in first out).  Stabilizing the market is one means of securig supply when it means that the products bring value to the portfolio and the balance sheet.  And that the pricing becomes predicable enough to allow for investment in capital expenditures without it being viewed as wildly specuative.
With low value to finished goods, the cost of safety stock inventory to secure the supply chain is not palatable to management who must report to share holders or private owners.  Failure to supply payments are more palatable than inventory holding costs.  "Just in time" inventory in a complex supply chain within a highly regulated manufacturing environment is a recipe for shortages.  Inventory turns and run rates have meaning that may bring value.  Safety stock is a drag on profits (until there's a few out of spec results that delay quality releases or result in failed batches).
One of the above reports mentions that in many instances of current short-supply products there are less than 3 competitors.  In some cases, FDA shows additonal approvals and the absence of more competitors is likely due to low commercial values, low profitablity, and the bench strength of the 3 major injectable manufacturers in leveraging value with GPOs and wholesalers.
The payers need inexpensive prescription drugs, however, they need to define inexpensive and the trade-offs allowable for access to the low pricing within the context of publicly traded manufacturers who are expected to show both growth and profits. 

Friday 16 August 2013

IS OUR EDUCATION IS IN RIGHT DIRECTION : FEATURING WORLDS TOP PHARMACY INSTITUTES

Everybody has his own dream to study in the best colleges and schools so just to increase my knowledge about these institutes i was going through the QS World university rankings 2013 so what i found was that there was not a single indian pharmacy institute in the list of 200 colleges , i was a bit surprised ,so i started to search the appropriate reasons for this . Many things came to my mind which i think I must share.

What is the current status of education system ?
we indians are too much proud of our education system but my question is that, is this is the same system we are proud of ? I mean to say have a look no wonders there are hundreds of pharmacy colleges all over india but most of them are either lacking facilities , few don't have faculties and most of them don't have students . There are numerous problems in the education system . If I present the data in the current year nearly half of colleges which offers m.pharm have not even half of their seats filled . 
other than this if we come to the syllabus it contain all old techniques and topics . why don't the authorities revise the syllabus regularly 
Major problems of education system
There are numerous problems in our education system i can't discuss all of them but i can point out major ones 
School (first step towards profession) 
The major drawback in our schooling system is that it only teaches the students to become doctors ,engineers ,I.A.S  . just answer one question how many of you have been asked that if you want to be a pharmacist ? 
My school never told me who prepares medicine .I always knew that there was something called penicillin but never knew that Alexander Fleming was a pharmacologist i always thought that he was a doctor

why very few persons know that pharmacy is also a profession
I can not find an appropriate reason for this till now I mean to say why there is lack of promotion in this field ? why pharma people work as a secret organization . why childrens are not motivated to become pharmacist ? 
I was failed to qualify pre medical exams thats why i joined pharmacy  
you will hear this from most of the indian pharmacy students.
No involvement of practical studies
The focus is alway on the theory marks i ask them that when we will be asked to prepare P.C.M in production unit then weather we have to write the synthesis of P.C.M on a piece of paper and then put it into the system and system will automatically start the production of P.C.M or we have to follow the experimental and practical steps and mark my words you will get more marks if you write synthesis than if you actually prepared it.
No industrial training by the system 
there is no involvement of industrial training to pharmacy graduate and i was bit surprise that the training is not even provided to post graduate students

I am doing M.pharm ...... so you want to become a teacher 
every m.pharma graduate faces this comment when he tells other that he is going to study M.pharm thats why a majority of graduate don't opt for m.pharm
due to this saying i think many of our research students are working in marketing division and many marketing experts became teachers 
Now even you can opt for m.pharma as distance education
its totally a joke on system that many colleges does not even consider the university norms for attendance .I got a call from an institute offering me m.pharma and saying that no need to attend college just come to attend exam if you want to .
No involvement of technology in teaching 
there is zero % involvement of smart teaching the reason for this is that nearly 90% of teaching staff knows how to open a facebook account but don't know how to connect projectors to there laptops or how to search a topic on google.
No exam to become a teacher 
Anybody can be a teacher its very easy . why there are teachers who don't even know that there is a vaccine for polio .

Loads of not necessary things in syllabus 
I met one student of up board he was too much proud of marks he got in his exams  even though marks were not as good as mine i asked him why are you saying that your marks are more than me? it surprised me what he answered he said my book are thicker than yours my syllabus is more than yours ...... i asked why is your syllabus so lengthy he said becoz we learn each and every thing and believe me the syllabus he told me was so old that even its traces are not in this era
so the point is why is there a need to increase syllabus ? why can't we focus on new things ?

The examination pattern
the pattern of exams always alarmed me I mean to say in b.pharm we have five units per subjects and to pass the exams we only have to prepare three of them and if want to score more just add one more unit
why can't we have exams per single unit it will help student to focus on all units effectively
Very less no of government institute
i don't know why there are lesser no of government institutes if it can open new AIIMS and IITs why government is not focusing on involvement of government pharmacy institutes

so as I stated to tell you about worlds top pharmacy institutes here is the list of top five rest you can click the link provided in very beginning 
Harvard University
University of Oxford
University of Cambridge
Karolinska Institute
The University of Manchester

I always wanted that there must be at least two indian colleges in worlds top colleges list . so these were my views regarding the system i am sure that there may be questions , suggestions and feedbacks regarding the post so please do let me know about them by your valuable comments 

Sunday 11 August 2013

BRANDED MEDICINES ARE A BURDEN ON THE COMMON MAN




"Prices of branded medicines are generally higher than prices of equivalent generic medicines due to promotional efforts made in selling such products. Besides, some branded drugs enjoy patent protection and a number of drugs are not covered under regulation through the Drug Prices Control orders.”

Who will tell us the Generic names..The doctors would always suggest Branded expensive medicines..And in cases of Health who will do the research in those times and search fr generic meds....decide on which to take..And not take the doctor's descrips.!

Doctors should be forced to write generic medicines only through legislation and all the Pharma companies should manufacture and retail generic medicines compulsorily to avoid harassment to the patient and public. However quality checks and enforcement of these checks is equally important to check scrupulous manufactures and companies playing with the life of patient.

There should be law to enforce the Pharma companies to provide medicine at effort-able rates. This is an too much old issue that,they charge some 10 to 20 times more than its worth . In Private stores , we never get generic medicines. Doctors also never prescribe generic medicine. In govt stores also we never able to get most of the medicines. In India seldom poor people cry in Pain . But always cry while purchasing medicine. Some time they know the consequences still unwilling to take . Pharma companies earn  in crores while general people suffers. So We need strict regulation regarding the price of medicines . Also it should be enforced upon all Indian and non-indian Pharma companies.

This move has brought in renaissance in the life of larger section of people. It is more like a boon to the people of mid-level and lower-level income group. It's the most welcoming initiative for the upliftment of the society. In addition to life-saving drugs, inclusion of all other standard drugs in the list of Fair Price Medical Shops is what the need of the hour.
it is a good social contribution of Amir Khan who revealed the truth. it will help those who will buy medicine. it is always true that in a long marketing channel with more marketing agencies involved price spread is high and as a result consumers pay more resulting in disequilibrium and loss of welfare. It is true in all commodities which change hands before reaching the consumers and producers' share in consumers' rupee is quite low. Apart from medicines can we think for other agricultural and industrial commodities?

The government has made it mandatory for government hospitals and government doctors to prescribe only generic drugs, instead of expensive branded medicines. the government had decided to procure and supply only generic medicines to government hospitals and asked the health department to examine a proposal to make it mandatory for all shops selling drugs to also sell generic medicines only.

It is required for the health department to ensure that all doctors in government hospitals should prescribe only generic medicines instead of branded [ones] with immediate effect. In giving license, it will be stipulated that the pharmacy has to keep generic medicines.
We cannot stop pharmacies from selling medicines of different brands. But now they have to keep generic medicines as well."
Most hospitals and health centers were equipped with the necessary medical equipment and test laboratories, but their proper utilization in the interest of the people was equally necessary.

Companies take full advantage of their branding strategy and the patents granted to them. They feel that they can charge premium price for their products because ,
 1. these brands are prescribed by their doctors and patients buy the prescribed brands only.
2. The priority of a person in pain is that he should get immediate relief. he buys so to say the standard brand.
3. The manufacturer in the name of quality and dependability charges higher prices that are beyond the price of generic.


What is a generic drug?

A generic drug is made after the expiry of the patent of the brand-name drug, generally after 20 years.

Difference between generic and branded drugs
A generic drug contains the same ingredients as the branded drug and in the same concentration, but the two drugs may differ in colour, shape, taste, inactive ingredients, preservatives and packaging

Why are generic drugs cheaper?

A company spends lot of money on developing and marketing a branded drug. After the patent expires for the drug, other companies can produce the generic drug at much lower development costs and, therefore, sell it for less .

there is no doubt that it's doctors who push the sale of medicines. I strongly feel that government should run a campaign how generic drugs (non-branded) are equally good.

You can get the generic version of a medicine if you know the generic brand name! For example the branded Augmentin 625(Amoxicillin 500 and Pottassium Clavulanate125), a powerful antibiotic coats Rs.285 for a strip of 6(one course). The drug AB CV which has the same composition costs Rs.100 or lesser. Not sure if they are equally effective, though. All Chemists stock generics. You need to specifically ask for it

It is recommended that government take steps to ensure all the medicines and surgical disposables are available at affordable rates. While doing this, government should also ensure that Indian pharma companies were responsible for making affordable drugs available at good affordable rates not only in India, but around the world also.

While drafting DPCO, it should be observed that the price should be such that the manufacturer makes some decent (decent means decent) margin, because otherwise they may stop production and the common man still suffers due to non-avaiability. There are many small units, who are making a meager profit in manufacturing and selling generic products. If that margin would not be available, many such units won't survive. That would mean many workers would loose their livelihood. While deciding the DPCO prices, they also have to consider the volatility in the raw material price.

Thare also should be provision to allow higher price for any company having research activity, which costs big sum. Else government can sponsor such activity by giving grants for this and in turn have some share in revenue generated if any molecule developed successfully. This way India can remain an important player in world pharma market.

All the factories of Generic Medicines should be highly assured for their quality. Regular checks of their lots must be done from third party QA labs. This way we can be sure of their quality. Though its also true that people are suffering from pirated drugs which are 100 % for branded drugs only and no body is doing their duty to curb them. It has also been found that there are several Bulk drug manufacturers many time not known to common man and just being packed in some brand at much higher cost. So it is always not true that branded drugs are always safe and Generics are dangerous.

It is high time, GOI shall bring out a system like PDS for Generic Medicine to the needy millions. It is time a big brake to be applied for incessant looting of citizens by pharma giants in the name of 'branded' medicines.

Generic medicines if manufactured by reputed companies is alright. But there are thousands of such companies which work like cottage industries and the quality cannot be believed blindly. There are no proper checking of their working. Quality control may exist only on paper and not in practice. With so much corruption going on in all government offices it will be a risk to get medicines from a company one has not heard of. It is safer to go for medicines manufactured by established and reputed ones.

companies have to spend money on R&D.... and make a medicine and then take a patent.. generic drugs, just need to copy a medicine that is already in the market.... and dont need to advertise them.. as govt is buying most of it.. and then the govt does not sell it for profit.. hence cheaper.. its like saying iphone is 45k and chinese replica is 10k both have the same internal circuitry.

There is no concept of generic drugs in India, as all the drug available in market having brand names. People often referring medicines available in hospital pharmacy as actual drug name as generic drugs which are cheap because they directly brought from manufacturers.however definition of generic says that all the drug available in market after first innovator drug are called generic drugs which should be available in market without brand names. Which is not the case in India. Moreover there is no regulatory mechanism to ensure quality of drug in India at time of approval of such drugs. Therefore doctors also don't prefer to prescribe such drugs as they can harm the patents.