Govt mulling making pharma mkting uniform code compulsory

The government is considering making the voluntary uniform code for Pharma Marketing Practices compulsory and would open 3,000 Jan Aushadhi outlets across the country, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday.

During a debate on high drug prices, the government also said that savings to consumers on account of revision and price fixing of essential drugs amounted to Rs 4,988 crore in the last two years.

Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Aggarwal, who moved the call attention motion on high prices of essential medicines due to the absence of pharmaceutical pricing policy in the country, sought jail term for those who exploited the poor in the name of healthcare.

 

He gave examples of various hospitals where prices of medicines were very high and alleged that even corpses are not released to the family till the full payment is made.

Aggarwal asked the government to come out with a strong policy so that cheap generic medicines can be promoted in place of very expensive branded items.

He alleged a nexus between the pharma companies, hospitals, medical representatives and chemists and said this has to be broken.

In his reply, Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers Ananth Kumar admitted that the voluntarily Uniform Code for Pharma Marketing Practices introduced last year to stop unethical practices was not working well.

"We are contemplating of making it compulsory," Kumar said.

Talking about prices of drugs, he said the government was working on opening 3,000 Jan Aushadhi outlets in the country which will give out generic medicines at a fraction of the market price.

He said availability of good quality medicines at reasonable prices was a high priority area for the central government and hence it has brought out a revised National List of Essential Medicines, 2015, by including more medicines in it.

Kumar said his department has also taken up with the Health Ministry to make it mandatory for doctors to prescribe generic medicines and allow pharmacists to substitute generic medicines for prescription in brand name medicines.

The Minister said the government has also advised the major manufacturers and importers of coronary stents to voluntarily reduce market retail price of their respective marketed coronary stents.

"Subsequently, some of these companies have intimated the reduction in prices of stents and implant/joint," Kumar said.

Kumar said there were 17 states in the country which have initiated a free medicine programme for their citizens.

He said the remaining states have also assured the government that they will have a plan in place by this year end.

Responding to questions on public sector units (PSUs) making pharma products, Kumar said he is happy to say that Indian Drugs And Pharmaceuticals Ltd has made profit for the first time and the process is on to strengthen RPDL and five other state-run firms.

He assured the House that none of the PSUs will be closed down.