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- DOI 10.18231/j.ijpp.2025.004
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                    CrossMark
                    
                        
- Citation
Cost of medicines in India - branded, generics and branded generics
                                                                           
                                        - Author Details:   
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                                                                                        Ravindra B Ghooi   
                                            
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                                                                                        Vinita V Kale   
                                            
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                                                                                        Vishwas B Sovani *  
                                            
                                    The cost of drugs contributes significantly to healthcare expenditure, and any reduction in the cost of medication would provide relief to all. Conventionally, the use of generic drugs is the method of reducing medication cost, however efforts to make prescription by generic name compulsory have failed. India also has a third type of products in addition to branded and generic products, called branded generics. Most drugs are thus available as branded, generic and branded generic versions. Branded generics offer an alternate option for cost cutting, to use of generics. Prices of drug formulations that are included in the “Essential List of Medicines” are fixed by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority, that declares their ceiling price. Examination of the ceiling prices suggests that either the prices are calculated arbitrarily or are manipulated. There is also a lobby of retail chemists, that ensures that low price brands are not easily available to consumers, since they eat into their profits. The current study shows how one could reduce the cost of medicines in India. Educating consumers to understand the pharmaceutical market could drastically reduce the cost of medication.
Keywords: Generic Medicines, Branded Medicines, Costs, Price Control, Healthcare Costs.
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How to Cite This Article
Vancouver
Ghooi RB, Kale VV, Sovani VB. Cost of medicines in India - branded, generics and branded generics [Internet]. Indian J Pharm Pharmacol. 2025 [cited 2025 Oct 31];12(1):18-26. Available from: https://doi.org/10.18231/j.ijpp.2025.004
APA
Ghooi, R. B., Kale, V. V., Sovani, V. B. (2025). Cost of medicines in India - branded, generics and branded generics. Indian J Pharm Pharmacol, 12(1), 18-26. https://doi.org/10.18231/j.ijpp.2025.004
MLA
Ghooi, Ravindra B, Kale, Vinita V, Sovani, Vishwas B. "Cost of medicines in India - branded, generics and branded generics." Indian J Pharm Pharmacol, vol. 12, no. 1, 2025, pp. 18-26. https://doi.org/10.18231/j.ijpp.2025.004
Chicago
Ghooi, R. B., Kale, V. V., Sovani, V. B.. "Cost of medicines in India - branded, generics and branded generics." Indian J Pharm Pharmacol 12, no. 1 (2025): 18-26. https://doi.org/10.18231/j.ijpp.2025.004
