COLOUR-CODING OF MEDICINES TO PROMOTE GENERIC MEDICINES

Bureau,Odishabarta

Colour-coding of medicines to promote Generic Medicines: But what about trade-margins (?).

DELHI: Central government once considered colour-coding of generic medicines like is done to distinguish vegetarian and non-vegetarian food-products. But even steps like printing name of generic chemical on branded medicines in font-size double that of branded name, separate shelves for generic medicines in chemist-shops and making it compulsory for medical practitioners to print name of corresponding generic chemical in legible writing together with name of branded medicines earlier announced by the government have not yet been implemented. All these steps should be implemented in practice to promote sale of generic medicines which have very low ex-factory price as compared to branded medicines.

But even if all these steps are followed in practice, nothing will improve because printed Maximum-Retail-Price MRP on generic medicines is almost equal to MRP printed on corresponding branded medicine. Bitter fact is generic medicines have at times printed MRP eight times the wholesale-price at which main distributors sells these to retail-chemists.

Government should cap maximum trade-margins for all medicines including especially generic medicines to make generic medicines available to general public at really economical prices. Over-sale or befooling through gimmick-packaging should be checked by compulsory packing of generic and other medicines only in units of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 gms, mltrs or units unless exemption is sought from regulatory authority for dose-wise administration of drugs.

It should be compulsory for computer-age medical practitioners to give computer-printed prescriptions, though old-aged practitioners not having computer-knowledge may be exempted from any such provision.

#Input;Ms.Madhu