Doctors to prescribe generic drugs or face license suspension: NMC

livemint.com:

According to a regulation by the top medical body, the doctors will have to prescribe generic drugs to patients, or else they will be penalised even if their license to practice may also be suspended for a period. In the latest notification by the National Medical Commission (NMC), doctors need to avoid prescribing branded generic drugs. Even though doctors are currently required to prescribe generic drugs only, there are no penal provisions mentioned in the regulations issued in 2002 by the Indian Medical Council.

As per the NMC regulations, generic medicines are 30-80% cheaper than branded drugs. Hence, prescribing generic medicines may overtly bring down healthcare costs and improve access to quality care. "Every RMP (registered medical practitioner) should prescribe drugs using generic names written legibly and prescribe drugs rationally, avoiding unnecessary medications and irrational fixed-dose combination tablets," the regulation stated.

In case of violations, a doctor may be given a warning to be more careful about the regulations or instructed to attend a workshop or academic programme on ethics, personal and social relations, and/or professional training. On repeated violations, the doctor's license to practice may be suspended for a particular period, the regulations said. The NMC defines generic medicines as a "drug product that is comparable to brand/reference listed product in dosage form, strength, route of administration, quality and performance characteristics, and intended use".