Why do Doctors Prescribe Brand Name Drugs?

Last updated on October 16th, 2024 at 03:30 pm

Why do Doctors Prescribe brand name drugs: Most of the time, doctors prescribe branded medicines or drugs which is available near their clinics. But here a question arises why doctors don’t specify it? Why do patients have to ask for it? Many people say that doctors seek to commission, and that is why they never prescribe low prices or generic drugs or even give a piece of advice for it.

Also, it is said that doctors are not prescribing it mostly because generic medications are government supply, and doctors do not get any benefit or income for prescribing it. However, it is the patients’ duty, too, to ask for low-price or generic drugs from doctors.

Why doctors are Protesting the Rule to Prescribe Generic Drugs?

Well, the answer is diplomatic. All doctors are not the same. Some are in favour of generic drugs, and so prescribe them. However, others do not prescribe it because they have tie-ups with a pharmacy or some pharmacy companies, or sometimes they have their relatives who run a pharmacy.

But other than the commission, certain doctors believe that generic drugs are not efficient enough to cure symptoms in a few days. Every doctor wants to treat patients as fast as possible because the faster the result, the more reliable the doctor is!
Another reason is its availability. Many pharmacies, in India, do not keep generic medicine, and for patients, then it becomes tough to find out at different shops. However, now the government has passed an order to supply generic drugs in local pharmacy shops and online shops.
Also, most of the pharmacy shops have salespeople who sell their brand medicine under the supervision of a pharmacist. They have no idea about generic drugs, so they refuse to give, and patients have to go to other shops to get one medicine, which becomes tedious for them. The next time, they request doctors to provide readily available medication.
Lastly, in India, branded medicines are better known than generic ones. As branded drugs are more common among people, they do not know generic ones, so they also doubt doctors when unfamiliar conventional medicines are prescribed.

Read: What are Generic Medicines?

Example of Generic Medicine vs Branded Medicine

For example, Everyone knows Crocin is for fever/pain, and it is a branded one. Still, when someone or a doctor tells them to take Paracetamol, they doubt whether this medicine will cure pain as they don’t know that Paracetamol is the generic name of Crocin. So lack of awareness or knowledge is another reason for doctors to provide branded medicines to get a patient’s trust.

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