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Medicines may cost up to 93% less in govt’s special stores Medicines may cost up to 93% less in govt’s special stores
Treatment for common ailments such as diabetics, ulcer and hypertension may soon become cheaper. The government’s initiative to set up a retail network of special drug stores to sell unbranded generic medicines, may bring down cost of some medication by a whopping 93%.
The department of pharmaceutical has made a comparative study of treatment cost in case of unbranded drugs and their branded counterparts marketed by pharma majors like Ranbaxy, Dr Reddy’s, Cipla, GSK and Pfizer. The move aims at ending company-chemist nexus, which tries to push costlier branded medicines to customers in the name of substitutes. Experts say the move is likely to trigger reduction in prices of branded drugs.
According to the draft concept note for setting up of generic drugs store, prepared by the department, anti-bacterial azithromycin 500-mg tablet could be made available at Rs 10 while Vicon 500-mg tablets of Pfizer cost Rs 78.30. This consumption of branded tablets for three days (one a day) costs Rs 235, but the cost of treatment with unbranded generic medication will be as low as Rs 30, down by 87%.
Similarly, the generic version of amoxycillin 500-mg capsules will be made available at Rs 3.50, while Novamox 500-mg capsules of Cipla sells at Rs 8.10. While consumption of branded capsules for seven days (thrice a day) would cost Rs 170, unbranded generic medication will lower the cost by 57%.
Anti-allergic Cetirizine 10-mg tabs of GSK are sold at Rs 3.40 while unbranded generic tablet can be sold at Rs 0.40, making 88% difference in medication costs. Likewise, Domstal 10-mg tabs of Torrent in the same category are priced at Rs 2.60 while its unbranded generic version would be available at Rs 0.50, lower by 93%.
The government has decided that these stores would sell 350 essential medicines across the country in public-private partnership. It is learnt that 25% of these medicines would be supplied by public sector pharma units and the rest would come from private sector at very low prices.
It is understood that the government has identified 12 states, including Delhi, Bihar, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and West Bengal, where the project would be launched in the first phase. However, the government would ultimately ensure at least one such store in every district of the country.
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Originally Posted by jimmy03 
