Hey, don’t punish the Doc !
Context :
Doctors to be penalised for not prescribing generic drugs / New IndianExpress / 13 Aug 2023
Extract :
Doctors prescribing non-generic drugs will soon land in hot water. The National Medical Commission (NMC) in a notification dated August 2 advised doctors to prescribe only generic drugs, failing which they would be penalised and may even see their license to practice suspended.
Though it has been mandatory for doctors to prescribe only generic drugs, until now, the violators did not face action.
In its notification titled ‘Regulations relating to Professional Conduct of Registered Medical Practitioners’, the NMC said India’s out-of-pocket spending on medications accounts for a major proportion of public spending on healthcare.
“Generic medicines are 30 to 80 per cent cheaper than branded drugs. Hence, prescribing generic medicines may overtly bring down healthcare costs and improve access to quality care,” it said.
In case of the first violation, a doctor may be given a warning and 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, the notification said.
Under the regulations on prescription guidelines, the commission defined 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.”
The commission also asked doctors to avoid prescribing branded generic drugs.
Under the generic medicine and prescription guidelines of the regulations, the NMC defined 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."
On the other hand, 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 branded generic drugs.
My Take :
Ø Well begun is half done ! …………………….. 03 Apr 2018
Extract :
India's drug regulatory body is creating a national digital database of pharmaceutical manufacturers and their medicines so that regulators can be more effective when acting on problems like drug shortages and quality issues,
Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) is finalising software for this and plans to amend rules for drugs and cosmetics to make it mandatory for manufacturers to regularly put details of their facilities and products in this database, they said
“Now, there is going to be a completely transparent system with proper data management,” said a senior government official, adding that the primary objective would be to get data on how many drug makers exist here
The new database would maintain names, addresses and licences of all manufacturers, therapeutic categories of their medicines and details like their dosages and forms, one of the sources said.
3D - Digital Delivery of Drugs ? [ 11 Oct 2015 ]
Extract :
My Suggestions :
* Govt to upload a Mobile App ( DISPENSER ? ) on Health Ministry web site
* All doctors must download it , after proper registration / authentication
* App will get embedded with full details of that doctor who uses it
* Doctors to enter Patient Data in App / then enter prescribed Drug Details
* Doctor will SMS app data entered , to concerned patient's mobile
* Patient will SMS entered app data to mobile of Chemist of his choice
* Chemist will deliver the medicine to the patient with Bill Details in App
* Every action / transaction on App , will get automatically emailed to web
Servers of
# Health Ministry
# All India Medical Association
# All India Organization of Chemists and Druggists ( AIOCD )
# Drug Controller General of India
Advantages :
* Jobs / business of Chemists / Druggists saved
* Great convenience for patients / no need to visit Drug Store
* No chance of Chemist " misinterpreting " doctor's handwriting !
* Full History of
# Each Patient ( great benefit to Prescribing doctors )
# Each Drug ( great benefit to Pharma Companies )
# Each Chemist Shop ( great benefit to Govt / AIOCD / Tax Dept )
# Each Doctor ( great interest to All India Medical Association )
==============================
BARD adds :
Question >
Given Brand Name of a drug, can you tell what are it's equivalent Generic drugs ?
BARD Reply >
Yes,
I can tell you the equivalent generic drugs for a given brand name drug.
I have access to a large database of drug information, including the active ingredients, dosage forms, and strengths of both brand name and generic drugs. I can also check the FDA's website to see if a generic drug has been approved for marketing.
To find the equivalent generic drugs for a brand name drug, you can simply ask me.
For example, you could say, "What are the equivalent generic drugs for Lipitor?" or "What is the generic drug for Nexium?"
I will then search my database and provide you with a list of all the generic drugs that are equivalent to the brand name drug you specified.
I can also tell you the price difference between the brand name drug and the generic drugs.
This information can be helpful if you are looking for a more affordable option for your medication.
My Take :
There is no need to punish the doctor
8 Lakh chemists are possibly filling in 80 lakh ( only 10 / day / chemist ) prescriptions every day
Who has got time / energy to check all of these, to determine which doctor prescribed a BRANDED drug ?
I turned to BARD once again :
My question to BARD :
Thanks BARD , this is very useful. Now help me make it even more helpful .
Here is my request / Look at my blog > https://myblogepage.blogspot.
Is it possible for you to provide a API which can link up with the mobile app " DISPENSER " which I have described in that blog ?
And , whenever any doctor types a BRANDED drug in the app , it will automatically , list side-by-side , names of equivalent GENERIC drugs ?
Here is BARD’s reply :
Yes,
it is possible for me to provide an API that can link up with the mobile app "DISPENSER".
I can create an API that will allow the app to query my database for the equivalent generic drugs for a given brand name drug.
The app can then display the list of equivalent generic drugs side-by-side with the brand name drug, so that doctors can easily compare the options and choose the best one for their patients.
I can also include additional information in the API response, such as the price difference between the brand name drug and the generic drugs, as well as the FDA approval status of the generic drugs.
This information can be helpful to doctors when making prescribing decisions.
I believe that this API would be a valuable addition to the "DISPENSER" app.
It would make it easier for doctors to find the best drug for their patients, and it would help to ensure that patients get the most affordable and effective treatment possible.
I would be happy to work with you to develop this API. Please let me know if you are interested in moving forward with this project.
==============================
I pursued with :
That is splendid , BARD ! From the description of mobile app DISPENSER , could you show me , a schematic User Interface of this app ?
BARD obliged :
Sure, here is a schematic user interface for the "DISPENSER" app:
· Homepage:
· The homepage of the app is where doctors can search for drugs. They can enter the brand name of the drug, or they can browse through a list of drugs by category.
·
· Drug details:
· When a doctor selects a drug, they will be taken to a page with detailed information about the drug, including the active ingredients, dosage forms, strengths, and side effects.
·
· Equivalent generic drugs:
· The drug details page will also list the equivalent generic drugs for the brand name drug. This information can be helpful to doctors when making prescribing decisions.
·
· Prescription:
· Doctors can create a prescription for a drug by entering the patient's information and the dosage and frequency of the drug.
·
· Dispensing:
· The app can be used to dispense drugs to patients. Doctors can scan a patient's ID card to dispense a drug.
·
· History:
· The app keeps track of all the drugs that have been dispensed to patients. Doctors can view this history to see what drugs a patient has been taking and when they were dispensed.
This is just a schematic user interface, and the actual design of the app may vary. However, I believe this interface would be easy to use and would provide doctors with the information they need to prescribe drugs effectively.
Dear Shri Mansukhbhai Mandaviyaji [ Central Health Minister ],
From the above , IndiaAI can easily develop DISPENSER mobile app within 2 weeks
For implementing it across DOCTORS – CHEMISTS – PATIENTS , you may give a time period of 2 YEARS
This will usher India into an era of PREDICTION of ILLNESSES among different DEMOGRAHIC PROFILES
Please , do not “ analyze “ till paralysis sets in !
With regards,
Hemen Parekh
www.hemenparekh.ai / 14 Aug 2023
Related Readings :
Experts ask why docs reluctant to prescribe generic medicine ……………. TOI / 14 Aug 2023
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