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NMC Guidelines - 1 

GENERIC MEDICINE AND PRESCRIPTION GUIDELINES FOR RMPs

 

Preamble:

 

India’s out-of-pocket spending on medications accounts for a major proportion of public spending on health care.

 

Further, generic medicines are 30 to 80 % cheaper than branded drugs. Hence, prescribing generic medicines may overtly bring down health care costs and improve access to quality care.

 

Generic medicines vs Generic names:

Generic Name: Non-Proprietary or approved name of a drug is also known as the generic name of the drug. Non-proprietary name is the name accepted by a competent scientific body/ regulatory authority.

Generic drug/medicine:

A generic drug is defined as a “drug product that is comparable to brand/reference listed product in dosage in dosage form, strength, route of administration, quality and performance characteristics, and intended use”

 

Branded Generic drug:

A branded generic drug is one which has come off patent and is manufactured by drug companies and sold under different companies' brand names. These drugs may be less costly than the branded patent version but costlier than the bulk manufactured generic version of the drug. There is less regulatory control over the prices of these “branded” 

generic drugs. 

 

Guidance to RMPs:

1. Prescribe drugs with “generic”/“non-proprietary”/“pharmacological” names only

1.1. In the case of drugs with a narrow therapeutic index, biosimilars, and similar other exceptional cases, this practice can be relaxed.

 

2. Prescribe drugs rationally and optimally

2.1. Both overprescribing and under prescribing are to be avoided keeping in mind possible drug interactions

 

3. Fixed-dose combinations are to be used judiciously

3.1. Only approved and rational fixed-dose combinations are to be prescribed

 

4. Advocate for hospitals and local pharmacies to stock generic drugs. Prescribe only those generic medicines that are available in the market and accessible to the patient

 

5. Avoid prescribing “branded” generic drugs. 

 

6. Encourage patients to purchase drugs from Jan Aushadhi kendras and other generic pharmacy outlets

 

7. Educate medical students, patients, and the public regarding the equivalence of generic medicine with their branded counterparts

 

8. Should actively participate in programs related to promotion and access to generic medicines

9. MBBS & PG students will be trained in the value of prescribing generic medicine 

 

10. Written Prescriptions should be legible and preferably in full CAPITALS to avoid misinterpretation. As far as possible prescriptions should be typed and printed to avoid errors.

https://doctorsportal.in/protocol-details/national-medical-commission-registered-medical-practitioner-professional-conduct-regulations-2023/General

https://www.nmc.org.in/rules-regulations/national-medical-commission-registered-medical-practitioner-professional-conduct-regulations-2023-reg/