Indian doctors have been told they can no longer prescribe branded drugs for their patients, provoking vehement protest from the Indian Medical Association [IMA].
New government guidelines demand a wider use of generic drugs, which are 30%-80% cheaper, reducing the cost of medicines for millions. When doctors prescribe a medicine for fever, for example, they will have to give paracetamol, not drugs such as Panadol or Calpol. Doctors liken this to “running trains without tracks” because the quality of generic drugs cannot be guaranteed.
