Is it a Good step or not: Doctors can write farmula not company name

[Scorpiooo]

If ever implemented then we can say its a good step by governments to control commissions and kickbacks culture for doctors by pharmaceutical companies.

But question is that, Is it practical in actual and how they going to implement that control.

Major problem patients will be got confused and medical store can take a lot of advantage of it, even can provide different combinations of salt that can be heath of life risk

 

[Oruc]

It would be an absurd decision. My cousin runs a medical store and he showed my two packets of Cephradine capsules which most of us know as Velocef. One was made by Novartis and price written on it was 108 Rs. And company provided it at a cost of 98 Rs or something. The other one was made by a company I never heard of and its price was same 108 Rs. But company gave it to store owners at a price of below 40. So what do you think which one will be sold if someone asks for Cephradine?
This decision will be a big bonus for sub standard medicine makers.

 

[Scorpiooo]

In Australia

Doctors must now prescribe drugs using their chemical name, not brand names. That’s good news for patients

The language used to describe medications is confusing, with multiple names for the same drug. A change to prescribing rules from today should go a long way to addressing this issue.

theconversation.com

It would be an absurd decision. My cousin runs a medical store and he showed my two packets of Cephradine capsules which most of us know as Velocef. One was made by Novartis and price written on it was 108 Rs. And company provided it at a cost of 98 Rs or something. The other one was made by a company I never heard of and its price was same 108 Rs. But company gave it to store owners at a price of below 40. So what do you think which one will be sold if someone asks for Cephradine?
This decision will be a big bonus for sub standard medicine makers.

That the point of problem here companies will start giving high commissions to drug and medical stores ...

 

[Respect4Respect01]

this video is directly related to your question.

 

[magra]

It would be an absurd decision. My cousin runs a medical store and he showed my two packets of Cephradine capsules which most of us know as Velocef. One was made by Novartis and price written on it was 108 Rs. And company provided it at a cost of 98 Rs or something. The other one was made by a company I never heard of and its price was same 108 Rs. But company gave it to store owners at a price of below 40. So what do you think which one will be sold if someone asks for Cephradine?
This decision will be a big bonus for sub standard medicine makers.

If there are competing medical stores, then the other store would sell the cheaper company's medicine at the right price to attract customers. Eventually all stores would sell the cheaper company's medicine or lose clients.
In fact, branded companies have lots of marketing budget which they use to incentivize doctors to prescribe their medicines.
The assumption that cheaper medicine means sub-standard is flawed. You are assuming that the drug authority of your country does no checks before allowing such medicines to be sold at medical stores.

 

[313ghazi]

The decision is the right one. Problems mentioned by @Strife need to be handled by the regulatory body responsible for licensing and manufacturing of drugs in Pakistan.

All versions of medication should hit the same standards. We have this in the UK, I can buy non branded drugs for pennies and buy branded versions for pounds. Often the difference is branding or sometimes some is quicker to act than other versions.

If there are competing medical stores, then the other store would sell the cheaper company's medicine at the right price to attract customers. Eventually all stores would sell the cheaper company's medicine or lose clients.
In fact, branded companies have lots of marketing budget which they use to incentivize doctors to prescribe their medicines.
The assumption that cheaper medicine means sub-standard is flawed. You are assuming that the drug authority of your country does no checks before allowing such medicines to be sold at medical stores.

Unfortunately in our country every industry runs as a cartel. Fixing prices, bribing suppliers or sellers etc. We need a more competitive market and better regulation to break that.

 

[TheSnakeEatingMarkhur]

If ever implemented then we can say its a good step by governments to control commissions and kickbacks culture for doctors by pharmaceutical companies.

But question is that, Is it practical in actual and how they going to implement that control.

Major problem patients will be got confused and medical store can take a lot of advantage of it, even can provide different combinations of salt that can be heath of life risk

View attachment 735922View attachment 735923View attachment 735924

Kamran Khan exposed this Mafia if I am not wrong.. good thing that action has been taken..

And it is a lot practical here in UK doctors never write the name they send the formula and Pharmacists get the right medicine pack it and give it...

I remember that I had to get a medicine for someone in family and it was omeprazol and enzoprazol I think (not confirmed) name were different but both had same formula so doctor gave one and said its same as the other one... so one of em can be taken..

Secondly so called major problem that you listed can be get rid of only 2 steps
1) registration of pharmacists
2 automation


Secondly I have a project planned (not sure if I will be able to do it) to build pharmacy which gets monthly money 100rs (lets say) from all citizens of a village and gives medicine to whoever needs it.. a community pharmacy..

Or we can simply identify pharmacies which are honest and will not cheat people and create awareness so that people buy from them and not the cheaters..

 

[TheSnakeEatingMarkhur]

It would be an absurd decision. My cousin runs a medical store and he showed my two packets of Cephradine capsules which most of us know as Velocef. One was made by Novartis and price written on it was 108 Rs. And company provided it at a cost of 98 Rs or something. The other one was made by a company I never heard of and its price was same 108 Rs. But company gave it to store owners at a price of below 40. So what do you think which one will be sold if someone asks for Cephradine?
This decision will be a big bonus for sub standard medicine makers.

This is the problem which has to be tackled..
Solution is to register all pharmacists and perform unannounced checks..(like go in as a common man and check if they are doing the right thing)

2 automate the systems for pharmacies as well as people (create app which give the cheap options or the price list when the formula is put)

Lastly identify the good pharmacies which actually care about poor people and get people to buy from them..

Lastly create community pharmacies or govt can create govt operated community pharmacies where everyone pays a small health fee or a small monthly fee for free medicine.. it will be like committee where everyone puts in money and Allah na kare if they need medicine they can get it for free to an extent..

 

[RealNapster]

But question is that, Is it practical in actual and how they going to implement that control

Through you. If you visit a doctor and he prescribe medicine of a brand, ask him to change the prescription and only write formulas.

 

[Baba Google]

If ever implemented then we can say its a good step by governments to control commissions and kickbacks culture for doctors by pharmaceutical companies.

But question is that, Is it practical in actual and how they going to implement that control.

Major problem patients will be got confused and medical store can take a lot of advantage of it, even can provide different combinations of salt that can be heath of life risk

View attachment 735922View attachment 735923View attachment 735924

So if the doctors are going to prescribe Triforge to someone, they will have to write Amlodipine+Valsartan+Hydrochlorothiazide?

 

[Dr. Abdul Basit]

Bits and pieces policy implementation has become a norm here. This step will be damaging in the absence of reforms and regularisation of whole pharmaceutical industry and dispensing practices. Switching to electronic health record with proper check and balance at each step/accountability will not only make it easier for government to have oversight but also more manageable at the consumer level.

 

[S.U.R.B.]

Ugly, Illogical and a very Short-sighted approach.
Probably proceeded under pressure.

With doing that ball will be in the court of a guy running some med store to decide whatever favourable 3rd class unregistered formulary to circulate from his shop. DRAP has no regulation over them and here it's taking a step out of it's league by devising rather advising solutions regarding how to write a prescription.

Question: Are all pharmacies around the country have only One formula generic or the single ingredient (active ingredient) drug as mentioned in the 1976 Drug act available on the shelf and the rest is banned?

If it's otherwise, then DRAP has more ground work to do than just moving directives from their chilled and comfy offices.

Wow! Mind-blowing stuff.

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

I have no problem with this I never remember trade names anyway this makes things easy for me. But what guarantees is there that Pharmacies in Pakistan most of whom don't even have a pharmacist available will not take advantage of this.

 

[Oruc]

If there are competing medical stores, then the other store would sell the cheaper company's medicine at the right price to attract customers. Eventually all stores would sell the cheaper company's medicine or lose clients.
In fact, branded companies have lots of marketing budget which they use to incentivize doctors to prescribe their medicines.
The assumption that cheaper medicine means sub-standard is flawed. You are assuming that the drug authority of your country does no checks before allowing such medicines to be sold at medical stores.

Well sir I have been in this business long enough to know some very very scary things. Are you talking about the same drug authority which approved such a combination of drugs to be sold as tablets which proved fatally poisoning the cardiac patients. Only when handful of people died in PIC lahore that authority came into its senses.
Another thing good and reputed companies give very little incentives. And they collect their bill when they deliver medicine.
But small companies they not only give you huge benefits but also deliver medicine and either collect bill after some time or when that medicine is sold.

And the million dollar question is about the effectiveness of that medicine. I can explain it by citing one incident. When I was in 2nd yr of mbbs in one of the most reputable Hospitals my father had to under go a surgery. As I knew most of the doctors and my fathers students were in final year also. They told me that your father is a govt employ so his med is on the hospital they have to provide it free of cost. But plz apart of pain killer injections get every med yourself as none of the antibiotics provided by Govt work as they should. So buy your medicine.

Not all companies are this bad but most of them are. Take Sami. It is a good standard company and also economical one.
Ceftriaxone inj is sold as Rocephin at a cost of 900 + and same inj by Sami is sold as Oxidil for some 330.

So the core point is cleaning the market of substandard medicine.

 

[Chhatrapati]

In here we have govt sponsored pharmacies that sell generic drugs. It's twice as cheap as the branded ones. Especially Ecospirin tab my father take regularly, the bill has been cut in half since I switched to generic.