In a bid to further promote the generic drugs in public sector, the Health Ministry is planning to initiate more steps like expanding the list of generic drugs for rate contract and using special software for government hospitals to include the names of generic equivalents along with the prescriptions.

“National Informatics Centre (NIC) has prepared software to be used by all Government hospitals and CGHS Wellness Centres by which if doctors prescribe branded drugs, the printed prescriptions will contain not only prescribed branded drugs but also their generic equivalents. This is proposed to be tried initially on a pilot basis,” sources in the Health Ministry said.

Another step is to revise the list of medicines for rate contract. At present, there is a rate contract for 127 number of generic drugs out of which 62 are reserved for Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs). “Necessary action has now been initiated to have a rate contract for additional 193 generic drugs. Once this rate contract is finalized, there will be a total of 320 generic drugs available for Government hospitals and CGHS Wellness Centres to be provided to patients,” a senior official disclosed.

Sources said the Ministry had already taken a number of initiatives towards promoting generic medicines like – motivating the doctors in the Government hospitals and CGHS dispensaries to prescribe generic medicines to the maximum extent possible, opening of a 24x7 medicine outlet in the premises of AIIMS, drawing up a common generic formulary containing 664 generic drugs, and the revision of the Procurement and Operation Manual.

The Centre had also instructed the States Governments to promote generic drugs in the public sector by framing an essential policy. Some states have already taken a few steps in this regard, by issuing directions to the medical practitioners. The Union Health Ministry had also persuaded the States to support the initiative by the Department of Pharmaceuticals by opening Jan Aushadhi stores to sell only unbranded generic drugs.