E-drug: Information on ED's and generic prescribing (cont'd)
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Generic substitution will make sense in a country where regulations
and regulatory authorities make it impossible for anyone to import. In
Zimbabwe retailers can not import medicines that are not registered.
In case one needs to import an unregistered product, for use on a
named patient basis, clearance has to be obtained from the regulatory
authority which. A committee will check with the country of origin
that medicine is registered there and that it is on free sale. Only
registered generics are allowed into Zimbabwe and these are the ones
whose safety, efficacy and quality have been checked by the authority
and which are also subjected to post market surveillance; not only by
the regulatory authority, but by independent labs, e.g. the University.
So I agree, without strict regulation, the right to substitute a
prescribed drug by a generic could be abused by retailers.
Dr. Farai Chinyanganya
Lecturer in Pharmaceutics and Pharmacy Practice
Pharmacy Department
University of Zimbabwe
Box MP 167
Mt. Pleasant
Harare, Zimbabwe
mobile: +26391320618
e-mail: farai@compcentre.uz.ac.zw
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