PM on pharmaceuticals

The comment by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in London, that doctors prefer to prescribe branded medicines as a result of their nexus with pharmaceutical companies highlights a persistent issue in the Indian health-care system (“PM’s comment on generic drugs a bitter pill for doctors”, April 23). But the basis of his comment is misplaced. While health activist Abhijit More, cited in the article, says prescribing generics is difficult for Indian doctors because of a lack of availability, the actual reason Indian generics are under-prescribed is because of an absence of a reputable drug evaluation and certification agency in India equivalent to the U.S.’s FDA.

This leads physicians to prescribe not just traditional branded drugs out of expectation of higher, internationally regulated quality, but also Indian branded generics. This is a situation unique to India whereby generic drug manufacturers add their brand name to the generic, helping physicians trust in the reputation of the generic drug manufacturer for drug quality over another, potentially lower quality generic drug.

If the Prime Minister intends to call out Indian physicians over their preference for branded pharmaceuticals, he must address the absence of appropriately strict prescription drug regulation.

Vishal Dasari,

Chennai