All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) made a representation to the Group of Ministers (GoMs) in Delhi requesting them to put pressure on the government to allow chemists and druggists in the country to issue cheaper substitute drugs to the patients from the one that is prescribed by the doctors. This demand is made to ensure easy accessibility of affordable medicines to the patients in the wake of the current practice of prescribing expensive branded drugs to the patients when cheaper substitutes are available.

In the representation, AIOCD demanded the government to amend the rule 65 of the Drugs and Cosmetics (D&C) Act and make provisions in the law to empower the chemists and druggiest to dispense cheaper alternative medicines to the patients. Today, Rule 65 of the D&C Act restricts all the chemists and druggists from dispensing a substitute brand to the patients when there are enough alternate brands available in the market that are far more cheaper and affordable than the brands prescribed.

J S Shinde, the national president of the country’s largest pharma trade body, AIOCD, stressed, “Our point of contention is why should not a pharmacists be given the right to suggest and give an alternative medication to the patients for their welfare especially when they have the knowledge and the expertise in the field. Most importantly, this is a patient centric demand made with an intention to give relief to all the patients across the nation by offering them an option to choose between the available brands based on their monetary capacity.”

He further informed that to strengthen this cause and to put pressure on the Central government on this issue, they are going to again raise this topic with the state government as well.  For this,the state body, Maharashtra State Chemists and Druggists Association (MSCDA) is soon planning to meet the State FDA and the state government officials on August 8. MSCDA will be including this demand as one of the key agenda during the meeting along with other long list of demands that needs urgent consideration.

Other important point that will be discussed during the meeting is on the ongoing issue of doctors dispensing medicines under Schedule K (5) of the D&C Act. MSCDA has been pressing the government to formulate guidelines to ensure stronger policing of the drug distribution system in the state to restrict doctors from indulging in unethical practice of selling medicines to the patients directly. This demand comes in the wake of increased incidents of doctors selling drugs to the patients by misinterpreting the provisions under Schedule K (5) Act.