New Delhi: Under Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP), a total of 5,440 dedicated retail outlets selling affordable generic medicines are functional in the country as on July 15, 2019.
There is no definition of generic or branded medicines under the Drugs & Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Rules, 1945 made thereunder.
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However, generic medicines are generally those which contain the same amount of same active ingredient(s) in the same dosage form and are intended to be administered by the same route of administration as that of branded medicine, official sources said here recently.
Drugs manufactured in the country, irrespective of whether they are generic or branded, are required to comply with the same standards as prescribed in the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Rules, 1945 made thereunder for their quality. As such they are expected to have similar effects.
The sources in the Health Ministry said the price of an unbranded generic version of a medicine is generally lower than the price of a corresponding branded medicine because, in the case of the generic version, the pharmaceutical company does not have to spend money on promotion of its brand. The sale of a generic version is incentivized by a pharmaceutical company by keeping a high trade margin for wholesalers and retailers.
Medical Council of India (MCI) has notified an amendment in clause 1.5 of the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002 vide notification dated September 21, 2016, which stipulates that ''Every physician should prescribe drugs with generic names legibly and preferably in capital letters and he/she shall ensure that there are rational prescription and use of drugs''.
The MCI has further issued a circular on April 21, 2017, in which all the Registered Medical Practitioners under the Indian Medical Council (IMC) Act have been directed to comply with the aforesaid provisions.