At a time when the medical practitioners across the country are airing divergent opinions on Medical Council of India (MCI)'s recent directive regarding generic prescription of medicines, Dr M C Gupta, medico-legal consultant and former professor and dean at the National Institute of Health & Family Welfare, New Delhi has clarified that the MCI instruction to prescribe generic names is not a new thing, but part of the Indian Medical Council (IMC) Regulation 2002.

Dr Gupta was answering to medical doctors’ queries about the recent vexatious issue of generic prescription through an online discussion forum of doctors and health officials.

It is already there in the Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002, which says, “Every physician should, as far as possible, prescribe drugs with generic names and he /she shall ensure that there is a rational prescription and use of drugs,” he clarified.

Allaying concerns of the medical practitioners, he said the MCI’s directive for generic prescriptions will help encourage doctors to become knowledgeable about the pharmacological name, category and effects of a drug. Hailing that the instruction will encourage practice of more rational medicines, he said it will discourage the practice of ‘cuts’ (prescribing a particular brand for favours returned). He added that if the doctors followed the advice of the medical council it would minimize conflict of interest and bring transparency and professional integrity in the medical field.

According to him the direction will enable the patients/consumers to buy medicines at cheaper rates. He reminded the medical practitioners of the fact that the same compound of a drug was sold under different brand names with a cost difference of 10 times or even more.

While expressing positive attitude towards the MCI direction, Dr Gupta said the move is likely to lead to more rational treatment by reducing the use of  combination drugs, a large number of which have no rationale. It will further help curb the use of magic remedies of unknown or secret formulation, he added.

To a question by a doctor that who would decide which brand  should be given to the patient, Dr Gupta answered that the decision to buy a drug should be left to the buyer/patient. He can either buy it sold by its generic name or by a brand name. Whether ‘ibuprofen’ must be bought or ‘ibugesic’, the patient/consumer should have the freedom for choice. He said in the present day of information technology a patient can easily find from the internet the indications, contra-indications, side effects, toxic effects, dosage etc. of a drug provided its generic name is given to him. This will help him take the drug in a more responsible, correct and safe manner.

The generic prescription will also help the patient to get better treatment from some other doctor at a later stage because the latter doctor would be better able to understand the nature of disease and the treatment given in the past. It is quite common for doctors to get confused in this matter because the same medicine may have dozens, scores or even more than a hundred brand names, Prof Dr Gupta said.

“The patient will get more rational and scientific treatment. Doctors prescribing by brand names have often don’t have much idea about the real nature of the medicine. It also happens sometimes that the same medicine is prescribed at the same time under two brand names out of ignorance of the true nature of the generic compound in the brand drug. This can even be harmful,” he said.