E-DRUG: Use of generic or brand names in prescriptions
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Dear E-druggers,
Nadeem Alamgir's posting needs a few clarifications. During 4th five-year plan (1970-1975) a scheme of generic nomenclature was instituted to cut down the prices of medicines. This access and affordability effort on the part of Pakistani Government was defeated intentionally by creating doubts about the quality and efficacy of generic drugs.
Recently the government highlighted the importance of generic drugs again in an effort to enhance the marketing and sale of medicines under their generic names to decrease drug prices. In a report compiled by "Network for Consumer Protection" the availability of brand products in retail pharmacies is much higher than generic equivalents in Pakistan. Not only this trend of brand product dominance in retail pharmacies is observed but there is often a huge gap between the availability of brands and their lowest price generic equivalent. As per report several contributory components may account for this disparity. Whether this may be necessitated by the patient or postulated as prescribing and dispensing habits of doctors and pharmacists, it is a cause of grave concern. These stakeholders preferably opt for innovator brands, presumably related to local marketing practices of manufacturers. Moreover, eminent profit margins for retail pharmacists, false intuitions and beliefs regarding the quality of generics, and ignorance or deficient know-how about generics may be some other contributory factors.
A study conducted at the University of Karachi in 2004 suggests that all generics were found analogous regarding pharmacokinetic behaviour in-spite of having different excipients, concentration of excipients, sources of raw material, manufacturing process, machinery, resources, and also inter individual variation of the study. Results of the study also undoubtedly advocate that generics manufactured in different manufacturing units of Pakistan are near to the standard formulation and produce comparable results.
Thanks and Regards,
Shazia Jamshed
PhD Scholar
Social and Administrative Pharmacy
School of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Universiti Sains Malaysia
Penang
Malaysia
Core Member Medicine Pakistan International
E-mail: shazia_12@yahoo.com
http://medicinespakistan.org/projects/