1. C O N C E R N
High-cost medicines
and the Common Man
The main question that arises here
is: Are the Indian patients having
high cholesterol capable of affording
Amaryl? More than 360 million of
India’s population is not having
proper food, clothes and shelter.
How can they afford a medicine cost-
ing more than 100 rupees for 10
tablets for a long period of medica-
tion? How can a kidney or liver can-
cer patient afford to buy Bayers’
Nexavar for 2,84,428 for one
month’s therapy?
The answer is generic medicine.
However, the government of
India’s recommended 117 Jan
Aushadhi stores are open selling
generic medicines but the number is
not sufficient to provide low-cost
enhancements for boosting the sale of
the medicine. On the other hand,
branded medicines are manufactured
and sold at high prices by big compa-
nies in the name of research and
development.
The branded versions of drugs are
sold in much quantities despite their
high selling prices in the market.
Here, doctors play a vital role in pro-
moting the branded drugs. For a cer-
tain percentage of commission, the
doctors prescribe high-cost medi-
cines in the place of low-cost generic
versions of the same medicines. The
doctors promoting these branded
drugs are presented expensive items
as gifts for their ‘kind’ help. One
thing must be noticed that all the
doctors are not of the same kind. The
doctors practising ethically are also
in our society. But, on the other side,
some doctors earn even a car in this
way of wealth promotion for the
pharmaceutical companies and
themselves as well.
64 ALIVE I SEPTEMBER 2012
for 8.20 for 10 tablets but they buy
top-selling Storvas as the doctor pre-
scribes for this name which cut the
patient’s pocket by 96 rupees.
Actually the patients have to rely
upon the prescription given by the
doctor as no one can take a risk with
his life in a critical condition of health
like high cholesterol.
All the high costing medicines are
sold by the big companies in the
name of branded medicines while the
affordable medicines that are generic
drugs find a lesser space on the pre-
A
cold is one of the most com-
mon ailments and “cetirizine”
is the most common medicine
for this ailment. Some people
go to a medicine shop and
take one strip (10 tablets) of “ceti-
rizine” for just 2.50 while others
pay 38.75 for 10 tablets for the same
medicine. The others are given the
same medicine printed in a different
name called the brand name costing
38 rupees. For the diabetic patients,
doctors prescribe Amaryl which sells
for 117.4 while the same medicine
with the name of “glimepiride (2
mg)” sells for only at 11.81 for 10
tablets.
The drug market in India is filled
with medicines of same nature but
huge price- difference. For the pre-
vention of heart attack or lowering
the cholesterol level the patients can
use “atorvastatin” which is bought
scription report prepared by the doc-
tors. For a medicine like “cetirizine”,
1.50 for 10 tablets is enough for its
manufacturing, packaging and trans-
portation including a handsome
share of profit. But, Cetzine (branded
name) is ruling the roost in the mar-
ket of drugs for the patients with a
cold which costs more than Rs 35 for
10 tablets. In the case of “glimepiri-
de” the difference between its gener-
ic and branded medicine is more
than 100 rupees for just one strip of
10 tablets.
Actually a generic drug is the
same as its branded varieties in
dosage form, strength, quality, per-
formance characteristics and intend-
ed use. The lower price of generic
medicine is possible due to the avail-
ability of such medicines just under
its chemical name without advertis-
ing or any kind of marketing
Why not revive pharma CPSEs like IDPL and use their
full potential for flooding the market with quality drugs
at affordable prices? I by Abhishek Kumar
All the high costing medicines are
sold by the big companies
in the name of branded medicines
while the affordable medicines that
are generic drugs find a lesser
space on the prescription report
prepared by the doctors.
PPrriiccee ddiiffffeerreenncceess::
Medicine Dosage Pack Generic Branded
price ( ) price ( )
Paracetamol (tab.) 500 mg 10 2.45 10.00
Nimesulide (tab.) 100 mg 10 2.70 25.00
Cetrizine (tab.) 10mg 10 2.50 35.00
Ciprofloxacin (tab.) 250 mg 10 11.10 55.00
Ciprofloxacin (tab.) 500 mg 10 21.50 97.00
Diclofenac (tab.) 100 mg 10 2.50 36.70
Diclofenac Sodium 100mg 10 3.00 23.00
Ibubrufen+PCM 100mg 10 5.35 14.00
Indomethasin 100mg 10 4.12 21.00
Cough Syrup 110 ml Liquid 13.30 33.00
Source: Jan Aushadhi Centre.

2. at an annual growth rate of around 10
per cent. The industry trends show
that it generally grows at more than
1.5 times the gross domestic product
(GDP). The retail market in India is
expected to cross 12-13 billion dollar
by the end of this year.
As per IMS data of September
2011, medicines worth 51,843 crore
were sold through chemists. The total
domestic market of the pharmaceuti-
cal industry being about 60,000
medicines to the patients suffering
from illnesses in India. Such medi-
cine stores must be opened in large
number within the reach of the poor-
er sections of the society. In India, the
number of government chemists is
very low in comparison of govern-
ment doctors and hospitals. The
number of government hospitals and
doctors are already dismally low. So
the presence of government chemists
can be well understood.
1100% profit- making business
On the one hand, a majority of
Indian families cannot afford com-
plete medication to a severely ill
member but on the other hand sever-
al leading pharmaceutical companies
are securing profit to the tune of 100
to 1122%. The drugs costing 10
rupees in manufacturing are being
sold at medicine shops for more than
100 rupees. These data are revealed
in a recent study done by the min-
istry of corporate affairs in
Government of India.
It shows how the pharmaceutical
companies are making huge amounts
of money at the cost of helpless
patients. Can such levels of profit be
said to be healthy for the health of
Indian citizens?
The pharma industry is increasing
crore , this major size of 51,843 crore
has to be addressed to operate this
growing concern for the health and
well-being of consumers.
Even in Tamil Nadu, where medi-
cines are available at reasonable
prices, nearly 70 per cent people go to
private sector hospitals for treatment.
Needless to say, the issue of the price
at which medicines is sold at the
chemist shops can no longer be
shelved if the government wishes to
pay more than silence to the health of
the people.
It would be a tremendous saving
for the chronic and terminally ill
patients if the right policies are
adopted and implemented in the
medicine industry. The draft of the
National Pharmaceutical Pricing
Policy 2011 was a good tool in the
hands of the government to deal with
the area of medicine but unfortunate-
ly this policy document only seeks to
legitimise high prices of drugs. The
policy is faulty itself, so any measure
cannot be taken for the benefit of the
common man suffering from scores
of ailments in this country.
Dr Jayashree Gupta, former addi-
tional secretary to Government of
India and CMD, IDPL writes to the
Prime Minister that giant public sec-
tor companies like IDPL, set up by
the government to provide afford-
able medicines for the masses are
being allowed to languish in sick-
ness.
Why not revive pharma CPSEs
like IDPL and use their full potential
for flooding the market with quality
drugs at affordable prices? Her letter
further explains: Despite a huge
infrastructure for delivery of health
care services set up by the govern-
ment, private sector accounts for
nearly 80 per cent cost of out-patient
treatment and 71 per cent of it is on
purchase of medicines.
The health matters of the citizens
are an urgent matter of concern for
the governments as medicines are
equally important as food, cloth and
housing. I
66 ALIVE I SEPTEMBER 2012
The draft of the National
Pharmaceutical Pricing Policy 2011
was a good tool in the hands of the
government to deal with the area of
medicine but unfortunately this
policy document only seeks to
legitimise high prices of drugs. The
policy is faulty itself.
Serving the people: But such outlets are few and far between.