All doctors must prescribe generic drugs, or at least, write generic names along with brand names.
LAHORE: It is very unfortunate that some doctors prescribe a few of their favourite brands to their patients, which are not easily available in pharmacies. This is only done to oblige those pharmaceutical companies, which grease the palms of doctors. These companies provide gifts, free drug samples, local and foreign trips and fulfill various other demands made by these doctors, in order to increase the sales of their medicines.
A few days back, my sister told me the names of the medicines prescribed to her by her doctor. None of these were available in her vicinity. Being a pharmacist myself, I carried out a search of the medicines on the internet in order to find out the formula of the prescribed drugs so that I could suggest some generic equivalent. All my efforts were in vain. New drug molecules are launched regularly and doctors prescribe these newly launched drugs because of monetary incentives provided by medical representatives of pharmaceutical companies, without considering the ordeal that patients have to go through in search of these drugs and the financial burden that they are subjected to.
In addition, pharmacists are often not available at pharmacies to guide people if a specific brand is not available. People do not know that generic bioequivalent brands are equally effective and can serve their purpose.
All doctors must prescribe generic drugs, or at least, write generic names along with brand names so that patients are assisted properly by the pharmacy staff. Also, pharmacies need to hire pharmacists because people have a right to know about drugs from qualified individuals.
Farooq Bashir Butt
Deputy director Pharmacy, Punjab Institute of Mental Health
Published In The Express Tribune, June 13th, 2012.
