Govt to crack down on pharma-doctor nexus

[prasad1]

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The government is all set to crack the whip on India's shameful pharma-doctor nexus.


The National Development Council (NDC), led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, will meet on December 27 to discuss bringing a legislation requiring drug companies to mandatorily disclose payments made to doctors for research, consulting, lectures, travel and entertainment. Doctors involved in ghost writing to promote pharma products will also be disqualified.


The official NDC document says, "Mandated disclosure by pharmaceutical companies of the expenditure incurred on drug promotion, and penalty on the company and vetting of drug related material in continuing medical education would be considered."


The Planning Commission says pharmaceutical marketing and aggressive promotion contributes to irrational use of drugs and therefore there is a need for a mandatory code to identify and penalize unethical promotion by pharma companies. The government will also make compulsory the use of generic names or the International Non-proprietary Name (INN), instead of brand names, at all stages of government procurement, distribution, prescription and use.


"Brand manufacturers will be encouraged to bid for government procurement, but should provide medicines in generic names," the document says.


Health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad recently said the ministry had received several complaints on this unholy pharma-doctor nexus.

Times_Of_India: By Kounteya Sinha,

 

[P.J.]

Doctors in India usually charge more if a patient has Medical Insurance Policy to cover his Treatment; also if a Receipt is demanded , the charges may be more;Asking the patient to go to a particular clinic for Lab Tests are very common.
Also prescribing more than necessary Lab Tests are also very Common..

When my sister was suffering from Blood Cancer, she was asked to see an Orthopedic doctor in Anna Nagar , which is far off from her residence in Mylapore; Knowing fully well, that the patient may not survive for more than a few months, the doctor suggested Knee replacement surgery, which he said will cost about more than 2 lacs, but my sister did not do it.

Most doctors advice their patients to go to a particular Pharmacy to buy the medicines given in the prescriptions.

 

[sangom]

The government is all set to crack the whip on India's shameful pharma-doctor nexus.


The National Development Council (NDC), led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, will meet on December 27 to discuss bringing a legislation requiring drug companies to mandatorily disclose payments made to doctors for research, consulting, lectures, travel and entertainment. Doctors involved in ghost writing to promote pharma products will also be disqualified.


The official NDC document says, "Mandated disclosure by pharmaceutical companies of the expenditure incurred on drug promotion, and penalty on the company and vetting of drug related material in continuing medical education would be considered."


The Planning Commission says pharmaceutical marketing and aggressive promotion contributes to irrational use of drugs and therefore there is a need for a mandatory code to identify and penalize unethical promotion by pharma companies. The government will also make compulsory the use of generic names or the International Non-proprietary Name (INN), instead of brand names, at all stages of government procurement, distribution, prescription and use.


"Brand manufacturers will be encouraged to bid for government procurement, but should provide medicines in generic names," the document says.


Health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad recently said the ministry had received several complaints on this unholy pharma-doctor nexus.

Times_Of_India: By Kounteya Sinha,

We can now hopefully expect a "pharma-doctor-politicians nexus" ! Pharma companies will artificially inflate the promotional expenses but payments to politicians will be suppressed; alternatively, some doctors will work as safe conduits between Pharma Companies and the politicians who matter. Health ministry, both at the center and in the states will become more prized seats.

As the typical Malayalam expression goes, "ஞங்ஙளோடாணோடா களி?!" (You think of playing with us?!)

 

[vsubbu48]

Breaking the doctors-pharma nexus is easier said than done. It requires patients to be alert. Recently I was prescribed several vitamin and mineral formulations (highly expensive) by an orthopedic. When I bought a few strips I found that all of them were from the same MNC pharma which gave me a clue that something is wrong. I stopped consulting the doctor thereafter. One website I frequently refer for cheaper alternatives for medicines prescribed by the doctor is medguideindia.com. It takes sometime to understand as to how to use the website. But it is worth it.

 

[Brahin]

The government is all set to crack the whip on India's shameful pharma-doctor nexus.


The National Development Council (NDC), led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, will meet on December 27 to discuss bringing a legislation requiring drug companies to mandatorily disclose payments made to doctors for research, consulting, lectures, travel and entertainment. Doctors involved in ghost writing to promote pharma products will also be disqualified.


The official NDC document says, "Mandated disclosure by pharmaceutical companies of the expenditure incurred on drug promotion, and penalty on the company and vetting of drug related material in continuing medical education would be considered."


The Planning Commission says pharmaceutical marketing and aggressive promotion contributes to irrational use of drugs and therefore there is a need for a mandatory code to identify and penalize unethical promotion by pharma companies. The government will also make compulsory the use of generic names or the International Non-proprietary Name (INN), instead of brand names, at all stages of government procurement, distribution, prescription and use.


"Brand manufacturers will be encouraged to bid for government procurement, but should provide medicines in generic names," the document says.


Health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad recently said the ministry had received several complaints on this unholy pharma-doctor nexus.

Times_Of_India: By Kounteya Sinha,

Dear Prasad goverment before breaking dr- pharma nexus should properly regulate pharma companies because in many medicines there is huge price difference even with same salt & few even when banned ouside are available here.