[india-drug] Response to Drug Promotion

[Raj <pharmhin@sancharnet.in>]

Response to Drug Promotion in India
--------------------------------------

Dear IDruggers,

         Needless to say, the drug promotion policy in the country 
needs to reworked. Some companies even advertise Prescription products
in the media, and even publish schemes on products in the media.

         Companies are constantly trying to shift more and more drugs 
to the Schedule k category, by which they could be sold even at grocery

shops, and advertised without any hindrance.

         The other strategy is to get the drug licensed as an 
"Ayurvedic" drug - and then sell and advertise it freely, without any
hindrance ! (Like they did for Eno fruit salts - Worldwide it is an
allopathic medicine containing citric acid and Na bicarbonate, while in
India it is now licensed as an Ayurvedic medicine, though it contains
the same ingredients, but labelled as "Nimbukamalam (citric acid) &
Swarjikshara (Sodium Bicarbonate).

         In my opinion, if the health ministry, the FDA, and the 
pharmaceutical companies seriously care for the health of the people of

India, ALL drug advertisements (Ayurvedic, allopathic....) should be 
banned ! If OTC medicines are to be advertised, the advertisement
should contain every detail of the indications, contrainidcations,
warnings, precautions, overdosage, adverse effects, etc. Otherwise, it
is better not to advertised !

         It does not matter that OTC medicines are permitted to be 
advertised in the other countries, but India is different, and  this 
should not be allowed. A susceptible asthamatic or peptic ulcer patient

taking Aspirin on seeing an advertisement, is likely to land in serious

trouble. Alcoholics taking Crocin for pain relief may multiply their
already existing liver woes ! Hypertensive patients taking Eno could
elevate their blood pressures because it contains Sodium, but does not
say so anywhere on the label !!!

         India needs strong guidelines for preventing faulty drug 
promotions - both at level of consumers, as well as to the doctors....


Raj Vaidya
Community Pharmacist
Goa


________________________________________________________________________
Yahoo! India Insurance Special: Be informed on the best policies, services, tools and more. 
Go to: http://in.insurance.yahoo.com/licspecial/index.html

Access Essential Drugs Monitor #32 at http://www.who.int/medicines/mon/mon32.shtml

The INDIA-DRUG discussion group is a partnership between SATELLIFE
(www.healthnet.org), WHO Essential Drugs and Medicines Policy
(www.who.ch), and the Delhi Society for the Promotion of the
Rational Use of Drugs (DSPRUD) in India.

To send a message to india-drug, write to: india-drug@healthnet.org
To subscribe or unsubscribe, write to: majordomo@healthnet.org
in the body of the message type: subscribe india-drug OR unsubscribe india-drug
To contact a person, send a message to: india-drug-help@healthnet.org