ISLAMABAD: Provincial health departments, Health Care Commissions and Chief Drug Inspectors have been directed to develop a mechanism to ensure prescription of medicines in generic name.
Directions in this regard were issued to provinces in response to complaint received from the Prime Minister portal that some pharma firms give bribes to doctors for prescribing their trade names of medicines.
Director, Division of Pharmacy Services, Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP), Dr Abdur Rashid said that provinces will develop mechanism that all doctors should prescribe medicines in generic name and retail pharmacy drugs will be dispensed by pharmacists.
The matter of registration of drugs on generic name basis has already been taken up by the concerned DRAP’s Division with relevant stakeholders in March 2021.
The directions of Director, Division of Pharmacy Services were issued on April 16 to ask the provincial authorities to take necessary measures for promoting generic prescribing practices.
He said that as misuse and overuse of antimicrobials was leading to Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), there was dire need that all antimicrobials including antibiotics, antivirals, anti fungus and antimicrobials should be prescribed in generic name.
As per Punjab Drug Sale Rules 2007, medicines under Schedule B&D should be sold only on the prescription of doctor and dispensed by the pharmacist on retail pharmacy.
This issue has been discussed in 111th meeting of DRAP and decided that a proper mechanism should be developed by the provincial governments that all medicines should be prescribed only by the doctor and dispensed by pharmacists at retail pharmacy.
In August, 2021, provincial health departments, Healthcare Commissions, Chief Drug Inspectors and DG Health Pharmacy Services will conduct a meeting with Division of Pharmacy Services and strategy will be developed in their respective provinces in consultation with stakeholders like PPA, PMA, PCDA, PPMA, Pharma Bureau, and others that medicines will be prescribed by doctors in generic name and dispensed by pharmacists only at retail pharmacy.