The small scale industries in the country have urged Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to take initiative to work out a mechanism to provide affordable and quality medicines to the poorer sections of the society who constitute 70 per cent of the total population, earning less than Rs 90 a day. In this connection, SSIs have mooted a scheme of 'affixing logo', devised for affordable and quality medicines.

In a letter written to the prime minister, the SME Pharma Industries Confederation (SPIC) asked the government to rope in all stakeholders in this project. Data needs to be gathered on the ex-factory prices of drugs and also the government supply prices of the drugs. After allowing a certain percentage of profit, usage of the said logo needs to be permitted across the board without any permission. Of course, usage of the 'logo' would be monitored and restricted to GMP compliant units for the sake of quality. Misuse of 'logo' would be made punishable.

Government only needs to advertise a 'Common Logo' so that the patient appreciates that lower priced drugs are not bad quality drugs. Once this is achieved, the patient will ask the doctor to prescribe medicines with the logo. The patient will give the logo a brand value. This would easily bring all branded medicines, all traders and retailers on board. Government need not burn its fingers in conducting business. Production of fakes would be minimized because low margins make it a non-lucrative activity.
The SPIC's proposal in this regard has come in the wake of efforts by the DCGI to issue logo for quality drugs to select companies. The SSIs view this as another attempt by the big players to kick out the small units from the pharma market as providing such logos will entail expense both over and under the table. SSIs are of the view that only large companies can afford it because 5000 SMEs have already been drained by a series of actions of the government like the implementation of GMP, MRP-based excise collection, increased regulatory expenses, etc.

The new logo scheme merits implementation in national interest in view of the fact that piecemeal efforts of one government department alone can do more harm than benefit as experienced in the past, SPIC said and urged the prime minister to convene a joint meeting of concerned government departments like ministry of health and department of pharmaceuticals and SMEs to work out a solution for a 'Common Logo' for quality drugs at affordable prices.