Generic drugs_2 articles from Kashmir

Maha Darakshan discusses the hot debate in her article entitled "Generics versus Research" which can be accessed at http://www.risingkashmir.com/generics-versus-research/.

 

The article focuses on the harsh realities in Indian Pharmaceutical market and the way the business is carried out. The debate as rightly pointed out by the author should be  primarily focused on ‘quality versus substandard’ pharmaceutical products.

 

Another article by Dr. Geer Mohammad Ishaq, Senior Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Kashmir is about generic drug prescribing, which can be accessed at http://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/2015/Apr/15/generic-drug-prescribing-7.asp

 

The article presents the current pharmacy practice in Kashmir. The highlight of the article is reproduced below:

"It is saddening that even after fifteen years of formation of our own J&K Pharmacy Council which is not an offshoot of Pharmacy Council of India unlike other states, we don’t have qualified and trained pharmacy graduates working as pharmacists either in government or in private sector. In government hospitals Medical Assistants with one year multi-purpose health worker type diploma in their hands are employed as pharmacists whereas in private sector matriculates with some experience in sale of medicines at a retail counter have been registered as pharmacists and granted drug sale licenses as per a redundant and obsolete piece of legislation known as the J&K Pharmacy Act, 2011 (samvat) that has been framed more than sixty years back and amended only once to include matriculates as registered pharmacists. Consequently patients are deprived of good counseling services on the use of medicines."