Generic Drugs & Its Future In India

In the recent past, a lot of buzz is around generic drugs in India. The general discussion is about the reduction in the medicine cost. Most articles on this subject deal with two aspects. One is, the cost of nongeneric or branded medicine is much higher than the generic ones. Price of generic drugs is compared with ethically promoted and prescribed branded products. Comparison is placed to prove the point. Sales of the later products are indicated to be not so ethical by multiple logics. Drug price as the only significant differentiator is argued for reducing health care costs.

The second point is about making medical treatment available to a larger section of society. People below the poverty line struggle to take medical help. Government hospitals & PHCs treat patients free of cost. However, most often patients are asked to purchase drugs from the retail pharmacy. This becomes prohibitive for the economically challenged section of society. Generic drugs are likely to reduce this burden and more people can afford to take the benefit of health care by opting for generic drugs. This is the argument most commentators make in the recent debates.

In a popular TV show a couple of…