[india-drug] Response to drug promotion

[Sunitha Srinivas <s.srinivas@ru.ac.za>]

Response to drug promotion
-------------------------------------

Dear I druggers, 


The logical step to be taken next has being targeted by Dr. Usha Gupta,
with respect to the discussion in the Idrug regarding the Unethical
promotion of drugs. 

It is now essential for us to discuss the steps to be taken to
strengthen the National Drug Policy by integrating it with the National
Health Policy. The need to look at the Health, Economic and National
development objectives of the National Drug Policy in India is
imperative.

The need to discuss steps in implementing the norms for drug companies
to comply with the National criteria for drug promotion and marketing
based on the WHO Ethical Criteria for Medicinal Drug Promotion is
critical. 

The need for a central data base of the drugs registered in India has
to be addressed now if we do not want to continue with a situation
where the number of registered formulations in the country is a guess
work rather than an accurate figure. At this stage the country is
supposed to have more than 60,000 to 85,000 formulation based on
publications. If we do not want to see the ?range? and need to be aware
of the exact number of formulations registered, the country needs a
central drug data base because at this stage the Drug /molecule is
registered centrally but the formulations are registered through the
State Drug Control authorities.

It is time to discuss the steps to be taken to make all health care
professionals accountable to the system. If a stoic silence is
maintained in the National Health Policy 2002 about pharmacists, it
will create more issues than solutions. Pharmacists should be made
accountable for the pharmaceutical care services they are entitled to
offer to the public. 

If the practice of prescribing pharmacists is necessary to deal with,
so is the issue of dispensing doctors. The law and rules cannot be left
behind on the paper if we expect to contribute to the health care
system. The law has to be powerful enough to evoke fear of disobeying
it.

Looking forward to the discussion as to what the next conclusive steps
should be with respect to all health care professional in India and the
health care system, to deal with these issues.

Best regards,
Sunitha


C. Sunitha Srinivas
Associate Professor
Pharmacy Adminstration and Practice
Faculty of Pharmacy
Rhodes University
Grahamstown, 6140, South Africa
Tel: +27 46 603 8396
Fax:+27 46 636 1205
Email: s.srinivas@ru.ac.za







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