India’s Medical Authority Suspends Controversial Generic Drug Prescription Rules

New Delhi: India’s apex medical regulatory authority, the National Medical Commission (NMC), has announced the suspension of controversial regulations that required doctors to prescribe medicines solely using generic or chemical names. These rules had faced opposition from the medical community and led to protests. The NMC’s Registered Medical Practitioner (Professional Conduct) Regulations 2023, issued on August 2, will not be enforced until a subsequent gazette notification is released.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA), the nation’s largest organization of doctors, had expressed concerns about the NMC regulations and urged their withdrawal. In response to the NMC’s decision to suspend the rules, the IMA hailed it as a significant victory.

Medical professionals, both in private and government institutions, along with IMA executives, had raised alarms over the rule mandating generic drug names. They argued that this would shift decision-making power to pharmacists and potentially expose patients to substandard medications.

While the NMC defended the cost-effectiveness of generic medicines and their potential to save patients money, the IMA contended that such rules, seemingly patient-friendly, could jeopardize medication quality.

In a letter to Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya, the IMA called for professional medical associations to be excluded from the NMC regulations meant for individual doctors. The IMA emphasized the importance of transparent utilization of pharmaceutical funding for educational and research activities, rather than personal gains.