The National Medical Commission (NMC) made new rules. They say that doctors don’t have to prescribe branded medicines anymore. These rules, called the Registered Medical Practitioners Regulations, 2023, came out on August 3.

But first understand difference between “Generic and Branded Medicine”?

Branded medicines are developed by pharmaceutical companies through extensive research, clinical trials, and innovation. They are patent and to be more expensive. On the other hand, generic medicines are equivalent alternatives to branded drugs, available after the patent protection expires.

Certain doctors believe that generic drugs are not efficient enough to cure symptoms in a few days. Every doctor wants to treat patients as fast as possible because the faster the result, the more reliable doctor is!

But some people think doctors take a lot of money from big drug companies for selling expensive medicines. But why is this problem? In India, they don’t test the quality of generic drugs which is really important.

However, doctors talk about the practical challenges that come with following the guidelines in their current format. The cost of treatment can go down by 30 per cent to 80 per cent with cheaper generic drugs but is it worth the effectiveness of therapy?

But in countries like the US, they do testing to make sure the generic drugs work the same as the branded ones. So, first we need to understand the concept of "bioavailability," "bioequivalence," and "stability".

When you take a drug, how fast it goes into your blood is its bioavailability. If a generic drug works as same as a branded medicine then it is known as bioequivalence. This testing is super important all over the world. Even though India said okay to bioequivalence testing for generic drugs in 2017, it still doesn't have very strict rules for it. In August 2023, the NMC said doctors can go back to prescribing brand names because less than 1% of generic drugs made in India get checked for quality. It is around 43% of the money spent on medicine in India comes from people's own pockets. That's why the NMC allowed doctors to use brand names instead.

Now, stability testing. They test a drug to see how fast it changes when it gets hot or wet. While India said stability testing is a must in 2018, there are reasons why doctors don’t trust generic drugs and prefer brand names.