Hiring freeze in pharma sector as Centre pushes for generic medicine

Industry feels that doctors should be allowed to mention brand names, allowing the patient to choose

Due to the latest generic-generic drugs push by the prime minister, pharmaceutical majors are likely to put recruitment of fresh field sales personnel on hold, at least for the moment.
 
If doctors prescribe chemical or generic names of pharmaceutical molecules instead of brand names, field sales personnel would likely become near-redundant.
 
There are an estimated 300,000 such people in this sector. And, 800-850 more are usually recruited by pharma companies across India every month, said N Sivakumar, business head at recruitment entity TeamLease Services.
 
“Pharma players are waiting for more clarity on the situation,” he said. The