Rx: Meds for all | Mint

A row has erupted over the National Medical Commission’s (NMC) directive making the prescription of generic drugs mandatory, with some doctors protesting the move. Its aim is to make healthcare cheaper and improve its access, as generic drugs are relatively inexpensive. Dissenters argue it violates the rights of patients on whose behalf discernment must be exercised since generics could be of low quality. Although the efficacy of the same formulation from different makers can indeed vary, generic medicines must not be cast in general doubt. India’s pharmaceutical export success has largely been with unbranded pills. Equally, it’s known that doctors are sometimes incentivized by pharma firms to prescribe branded drugs. So the NMC’s approach makes sense. Generic drugs ought to be the first pick for doctors. But their medical judgment must have sufficient space to prevail, too. Where a branded drug is felt necessary, the doctor should explain to the patient in writing why this is so. If this becomes standard practice, then it would push generics with high rejection rates under scrutiny, which could serve to improve quality across the market.