Short changing by Pharma companies
A number of circle members have raised pertinent issues in the sale of essential medicines in this circle and elsewhere. Some of the important points are:
1- The same generic drug is being sold by different companies for widely differing prices. The price range is sometimes even more than 10-15 times. Many of these very essential drugs and we wonder why there should be such a big difference.
2- Many drugs like those for blood pressure, heart disease, anemia etc are sold only as packs of 15, 14, 20 or 30. The customer is forced to buy the whole sheet; if you ask for a smaller number, you have to pay more than the MRP on the sheet.
3- Tab Avil which was the commercial name for chlorpheniramine maleate now contains cetrizine which is a totally different drug. If you want chlorpheniramine maleate, you have to specifically ask for Avil 25. What kind of malpractice is this and why does the DCGI (Drugs Controller General of India, the body which gives licenses for medicines) allow this?
I would like these issues to be discussed in this circle. more
1- The same generic drug is being sold by different companies for widely differing prices. The price range is sometimes even more than 10-15 times. Many of these very essential drugs and we wonder why there should be such a big difference.
2- Many drugs like those for blood pressure, heart disease, anemia etc are sold only as packs of 15, 14, 20 or 30. The customer is forced to buy the whole sheet; if you ask for a smaller number, you have to pay more than the MRP on the sheet.
3- Tab Avil which was the commercial name for chlorpheniramine maleate now contains cetrizine which is a totally different drug. If you want chlorpheniramine maleate, you have to specifically ask for Avil 25. What kind of malpractice is this and why does the DCGI (Drugs Controller General of India, the body which gives licenses for medicines) allow this?
I would like these issues to be discussed in this circle. more
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About size of pack, DCGI should make it complesuroy to have pack adjusted to standard doses of particular drug. For example, any medical practioner will prescribe any Anit Biotic dose for 5 days or 7 days and manufacturer makes strip of 10 tablets which is weast of medicine and also unnecessary cost to the purchaser. This should be stoped immediately. more
Apr 24
Drug prices are linked with international institutes, and can safely play corporate games with Governments. Since many drug companies are pulling out of Indian market, claiming India is loosing the quality products, and advantages, etc. This is nothing but blackmail. What is the international scenarios in respective segment, a strong ethical body should supervise and help Mankind. (I don't know what WHO (World Health Organization) is doing. more
Apr 23
To beat the price control the drug companies are coming up with many ideas.one of which is combining many generic drugs and selling at exorbitant prices as the drug control list does not cover all combinations.The govt should announce price controls for individual generic drugs and any combination of these should not exceed the sum total of individual generic drugs.Still the drug companies will make some extra profit as manufacturing cost will come down but it will not be exorbitant. more
Apr 23
Due to tax rebate in hilly states pharmaceutical companies are earning huge profit but not passing that rebates to consumers . After PM announced reduction in price and cheaper medicines they have increased price to 10 % Govt should withdraw tax holiday sop from these states Last month MRP of NUHENZ was ₹203 and now ₹223 net increase 10% On the other hand most consumer are farmers and prices of many items of their produces have come down drastically more
Apr 23
