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Jan Aushadhi, Amrit Pharmacy reliable choice for generic meds: PGI director Vivek Lal
PGIMER director Vivek Lal advocated for the utilisation of generic medicines as a viable alternative for branded drugs
Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) director Vivek Lal on Saturday advocated for the utilisation of generic medicines as a viable alternative for branded drugs.
Speaking at a press conference organised to deliberate on the issue of efficacy and other misconceptions regarding generic medicines, Lal said their purchase from Jan Aushadhi and Amrit Pharmacy offers bonafide and cost-effective alternatives to branded drugs.
He emphasised that generic medicines have been proven to be equally effective in treating critical illnesses, making them a reliable choice for patients, adding, “The studies clearly prove that even in lethal diseases like cancer, generic drugs are very effective. And again, in transplant, in preventing rejection of transplant, generic drugs are equally effective, and that too, at one fifth of the price of their branded counterparts. The yardstick is to procure the right generic medicines from the right chemist.”
Lal quoted three published studies by PGIMER doctors to substantiate the same.
Dispelling the myth about quality control in Jan Aushdhi Centres, the director said, “Outside USA, India has the maximum number of FDA approved factories in the world. We at PGIMER take drugs from WHO approved plants and then every batch is checked by NABL labs at regular intervals. So, quality is ensured at Jan Aushdhi Centres and it’s difficult to ensure the same quality when medicine is taken from any other pharmacy store as ethics of the owner of the pharmacy also impact the quality.”
Highlighting further, he said, “The institute prefers to procure generic drugs and a testimony to the same is the fact that during the year 2022-23, the total drugs purchased by PGIMER comprised 88% of generic drugs and only 12% of the branded drugs.”
“The total sales from 7 Amrit Pharmacy Centres, the highest in the country in any public sector hospital, for the last three months (April1-June 23) amounted to Rs. 44 crores. The total sales from the two Jan Aushadhi Centres of PGIMER, which stock only medicines and not surgical appliances as in Amrit Pharmacy, for the same period (April1-June 23) amounted to ₹72 lakh,” he elaborated.
Deputy director (administration) and PGIMER’s official spokesperson Kumar Gaurav Dhawan and medical superintendent Vipin Koushal were also present on the occasion.
