Drug Action Network asks Health Minister to let Janaushadhi Kendras dispense generic substitutes of branded medication

The All India Drug Action Network (AIDAN), involved in advocacy for rational drug policy and use, has urged the Union Health Minister to amend the Schedule ‘H’ under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act to enable Janaushadhi Kendras to dispense generic substitutes of branded prescription medications.

The All India Drug Action Network (AIDAN), involved in advocacy for rational drug policy and use, has urged the Union Health Minister to amend the Schedule ‘H’ under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, to enable Janaushadhi Kendras to dispense generic substitutes of branded prescription medications.

In a letter dated June 11 to the Health Minister, the network has also urged that an expert panel be set up to assess the feasibility of allowing generic substitutions for prescription drugs as per the recommendations of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) Technical Advisory Board.

This comes in the wake of the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA) opposing a proposal to allow the government-run Janaushadhi Kendras to dispense substitutes of prescription medications.

The CDSCO has been mulling over a proposal to make changes in the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and its associated regulations to allow the substitution of drugs specified under schedules H, H1, and X with a view of promoting “quality generic medicines at affordable prices.” Schedule H of the Act includes general prescription drugs while Schedule H1 includes 3rd and 4th generation antibiotics, anti-tuberculosis drugs and certain psychotropic medicines. 

Earlier this year, the CDSCO’s Drug Technical Advisory Board had recommended constituting an expert panel to assess the feasibility of allowing generic substitutions for these prescription drugs, provided they match the original in “substance, strength, and dosage form.”

Gopal Dabade from Drug Action Forum, Karnataka, that is part of AIDAN, said that the IPA, in its opposition to the proposal, has claimed that “if the recommendation was accepted for Janaushadhi stores, it would open floodgates of similar demands by trade channels, such as general pharmacy stores, which will not be in the interest of patients.” 

“However, we would like to point out that permitting Janaushadhi shops to substitute brands with generic name medicines would help bust the myth that only renowned brands are of good quality. This is what the IPA does not want,” he said.