IMA Labels NMC Directive '˜Unjust' for Prescribing Only Generic Drugs     

NMC issued a new regulation on August 2 for all doctors to only prescribe generic drugs. Failing to adhere to such guidelines may call for penalties and licence suspension.'¯  

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has called National Medical Council's (NMC) direction to prescribe only generic medications is '˜unjust'. The NMC passed a regulation on August 2 for all doctors, asking them to only prescribe generic medication. Besides, it banned prescribing branded drugs. Raising concern against such regulations, now IMA demanded that the NMC and government take rapid and severe action. '¯ 

NMC issued a new rule on August 2, saying that all doctors are required to prescribe generic drugs. If they fail to do so, they might need to face a penalty or licence suspension for some time. Additionally, it advised doctors to avoid prescribing branded generic drugs as they are more costly than generic drugs.'¯ 

The NMC claims that recommending generic medications could lower healthcare expenditures and increase access to high-quality care. 

However, IMA stated that less than 0.1% of drugs are tested for quality in India. This action should be delayed until the government can guarantee the caliber of every drug allowed onto the market.  

'œWe cannot take risks with patient care and safety. Rather, the government must ban all branded drugs. The government enables pharmaceutical companies to offer the same product under various categories, including branded and generic. It is essential to tighten the loopholes,' said IMA. 

'œWe should refrain from simply cutting costs without giving due consideration to quality. If doctors are not allowed to prescribe branded drugs, why should such drugs be given licenses in the first place, given that modern drugs can be dispensed only upon the doctors' prescription,' said Dr Sharad Kumar Aggarwal, national president of IMA. 

Aggarwal added that the primary barrier to using generic medications is the need for more assurance about their quality. Since there is almost no assurance of the quality of medicines in this country, dispensing drugs without that assurance would harm patients' health. 

IMA has proposed one drug, quality, and price system to the government. It said the sellers must sell every brand of drug at the same price. Branded drugs should be banned, and only generics should be allowed. The government should also ensure that the drugs should be of the highest quality.  

According to IMA, the government should only grant licences to generic medications and not any branded medicines while ensuring the quality of the generic drugs. It is strange to have premium brands available in the market while banning doctors who are in charge of their patients' health from prescribing them.