Mohali, October 13
Some relief for the ill. The ministry of chemicals and fertilisers is set to start generic drug stores in 11 states, including Punjab and Haryana.
To be opened in collaboration with NGOs and state governments, these unbranded generic drug stores would start selling drugs at cheaper rates this fiscal year.
In city to attend a programme at the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Ashok Kumar, secretary, department of pharmaceuticals, said the ministry would provide logistic support to the pilot project and the drug stores would be run on minimum profit with no subsidy from the government.The pharmaceutical industry had been roped in to provide medicines.
Explaining the concept, the secretary said the rates were being worked in consultation with drug manufacturers.The price of mass consumption generic medicine would be substantially less when compared with branded medicines.
A study conducted by NIPER, Mohali, had pointed out that branded medicines were 300 times more expensive than the unbranded generic medicines.
“Although the rates will be far less than the market rates of generic drugs, we will ensure that these stores earn profit ," he said.
The secretary said unbranded generic medicines comprised 2.5 per cent of the total drugs manufactured in the country. A suggestion to introduce quality mark on generic drugs was made during deliberations today.
Besides, the ministry had decided to run five new NIPER institutes on the pubic-private partnership (ppp) model. To bet set up at Kolkata, Guwahati, Hajipur in Bihar, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad in coordication with local medical institutes, the ministry would provide infrastructure facilities for the same.
Setting up each NIPER would cost Rs 250-300 crore and it would be completed in three years. The industry would be involved for infrastructure facilities. A private consultant, Deloitte, had been asked to prepare a report on the projects.
