medicine pricing-who cares?

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Hello NetRUMians, Medicine pricing is very serious issue in India as prices are hiking like anything, may be due to over-enthusiastic promotion or due to over-expectations of profit. But at what level should this expectation be?...100%? 200?..or 1000%?. Even more than that… So this is the current scenario of India. No check on medicine pricing. Though there is NPPA (National Pharmaceutical pricing

Authority), very few medicines are revised for its pricing. Too many brand names for single generic are available in market. Pharmaceutical companies are baiting prescribers by incentives; they are also prescribing baseless drug combinations and other combinations in the form of polypharmacy, prescribers are not ready for changing their mind, lay man is very far from pricing education……if this is the situation in India then only save this country. And this is not only fault of prescribers but also of consumers, as very few are interested in such knowledge. Some organizations are ahead in such activities like HAI (Health action international) and some internet groups like “NetRUM”. These are making social

awakening. HAI has highlighted some points to bring own the medicine prices- • Ensure that generic medicines are available, prescribed and used whenever possible.This can cut medicine bills by half. • Seek volume discounts for group purchases. • Use open competitive purchasing methods wherever possible. • Monitor closely the prices paid by other purchasers at home and abroad. • Ensure that the distribution system, from manufacturer or importer to consumer is competitive and efficient. Monopolies (e.g. a single importer or wholesaler) or near monopolies at any

point in the distribution system can lead to excessive prices. • Eliminate duties and taxes on essential drugs, as many countries already do. Agree special low prices (by equitable pricing or granting voluntary licence to a localmanufacturer) for purchasers in low-income countries buying medicines which are still under patent. • Find cheaper sources of supply, where manufacturers sell the same product to other countries more cheaply (by ‘parallel imports’). • Grant a manufacturing licence without the consent of the patent-holder, paying adequate remuneration, where public interest, national emergencies, such as epidemics, public non-commercial use requirements and anti-competitive practices exist. So better late than never…young blood have to come forward and should take initiative…have to make citizen a real responsible citizen. Here is the link for "medicine prices, a new approach to measurement" http://www.haiweb.org/medicineprices/pdf/PDF%20MP%20Brochure.pdf Regards dr. Sarang deshmukh

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