I think most of us, when the need arises to buy medicines , we go to nearby medical shop or pharmacy and buy them and pay without any questions. Some times we go to shops like MEDPLUS or Religare which offer 10% discount on the total bills. In case some medicines are very costly, do we ever ask whether cheaper brands of the same medicines are available? We don't because of fear that cheap means, they may not act, or the shop keeper may say they don't stock because there have been adverse reports on such drug. If you care to know, every branded drug has a generic of the same medicine which will cost half or even less. If you want to know the generic of any drug ,especially those that cost high, read what it contains on the label. It may state " the acive ingredient" that is the generic. For example, the common pain relievers like Calpol,Crocin,Dolo,Metalgin all have the generic Paracetmol , but differing prices ranging from Rs 4 to Rs 20 / per ten tablets.. This is one example for a common low costing drug. No harm will come by buying cheaper drugs as long as you go by generic name. Branded drugs are always costly because of high commissions they pay to physicians, shop owners and medical representatives . TUCS offers 17 per cent discount on medicines at Chennai. Gopalan
News item in a leading newspaper showing how many of the drug firm's unhealthy practices in the promotion of health of people can be a leading cause of high rise in cost of drugs, But if people want to buy generic drugs , you would be surprised to learn that medical shops don't stock them as they don't get commission on them. Who is going to set right that malady? See the news item here http://http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Medical-practitioners-flout-norms-to-accept-gifts-from-pharma-companies/articleshow/16817196.cms Lakshmi
Posting the link again as it does not seem to work.Medical practitioners flout norms to accept gifts from pharma companies - The Times of India