As a trained economist who runs an E-pharmacy, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) of India is an example of how government institutions can legitimize the worst tendencies of the free market. In this blog, I’ll establish a few key points: If you are interested in public-policy and pharmaceuticals, then this blog is for you. […]
Imagine choosing between two cups of chai – one from a trusted brand like Chaayos, and another from a local vendor offering the same taste at half the price. Tempting, right? But also risky? That’s exactly the kind of decision patients and doctors face with generic medicines in India. In this blog, I spoke to five doctors – from both government and private hospitals – and even had a quirky chat with a local quack (yes, our very own Bengali Babu) to uncover the real story behind branded vs. generic prescriptions. Plus, a look at how SayaCare is flipping the script on medicine access and trust.
Life-saving drugs pass through multiple hands-suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, retailers-each adding their cut. The price shoots up, but that’s not the worst part. Every extra layer in this chain increases the risk of fake or expired medicines slipping through.
Ever wondered why private hospital doctors prescribe expensive branded medicines instead of generics? Discover how medical representatives drive up your medicine costs in this blog.
Generic medicines are cheap because they copy the research of the branded/patent medicines. These are the original innovator drugs – wherein large companies spent years in research to discover and test salts. However, many copies of the original branded medicine exist, and in order for companies to differentiate their product from others they began giving them a proprietary name, making them a “brand”.