Generic medicine law ‘may hurt patients’

[webfact]

Generic medicine law ‘may hurt patients’

By Chularat Saengpassa 
The Nation 

 

Suttirat Rattanachot

 

Warning after medical-school hospitals made to forego original drugs needed by some

 

BANGKOK: -- THE UNIVERSITY Hospital Network has warned that some patients may suffer at the hands of the new Government Procurement and Supply Management Act, which requires them to use more generic medicines.

 

Taking effect today, the legislation requires medical-school hospitals to forego original drugs in favour of generic alternatives from the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO). 

 

Also, they are legally required to ensure that at least 60 per cent of their medical supplies come from the GPO. 

 

“While quality generic medicines work well in most cases, some patients need original drugs,” the University Hospital Network said in a statement yesterday. 

 

The statement added that some patients could face grave consequences as soon as the new law became effective. 

 

The University Hospital Network, which covers 19 institutes, said medical facilities would not buy original drugs for patients if their actions could be seen as defying the law. 

 

“We have raised our concerns in the hope that medical facilities will be allowed to consistently procure drugs, prosthetics and other medical supplies for patients so that there is no adverse impact on patients,” the statement added. 

 

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a medical lecturer said university hospitals had never before been required to buy drugs from the GPO. 

 

“This is the first time medical-school hospitals have been subject to such a stipulation. And there is a 60-per-cent buying percentage requirement too,” he said. 

 

Under the new Government Procurement and Supply Management Act, other state hospitals have to buy at least 80 per cent of their medical supplies from the GPO – an increase over the 60-per-cent requirement. 

 

The medical lecturer said he had been informed that the GPO did not even produce some generic drugs itself, but just repackaged the medicines under the GPO brand. 

 

“Patients will be definitely affected because some will need to use original drugs. When university hospitals cannot provide such drugs, [those patients who can afford to do so] will have to go to private hospitals,” he said. 

 

On August 8, several medical school executives submitted a petition to Finance Minister Apisak Tantivorawong asking him to review the procurement guidelines for medicines, prosthetics and other medical supplies. 

 

Comptroller General’s Department director-general Suttirat Rattanachot has defended the new Government Procurement and Supply Management Act.

 

In an interview earlier this month, she said the law allowed state hospitals to draw up their own new regulations for procurement, as long as they were in line with the act’s objectives and won approval from the Government Procurement and Supply Management Policy Board. 

 

She added that the act did not even give priority to prices in the procurement process. 

 

“It is not necessary that buyers must go for the cheapest price. Quality is a factor for consideration,” Suttirat said. 

 

She added that the Finance Ministry had already prepared seven draft ministerial regulations to facilitate enforcement of the act.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30324616

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-08-23

[Khun Han]

The only people who will suffer from the procurement of generic medicines will be the people who have been getting all the kick backs from Big Pharma. How much the Thai public benefit from the procurement of generic medicines will depend on how much is spent on the actual medicines (which can be less than 100th of the cost of Big Pharma's rip-off products), and how much is spent on the  procurement (hint, hint).

[Golgota]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

“While quality generic medicines work well in most cases, some patients need original drugs,” the University Hospital Network said in a statement yesterday.

This would have been enough to fire her for incompetence in many countries...

[chakatee]

1 hour ago, Golgota said:

This would have been enough to fire her for incompetence in many countries...

explain?

[digger70]

I think  that Generic meds are ok I take them, they are Okayed by the FDA   ;;;;     The generic drug manufacturer must prove its drug is the same as (bioequivalent) the brand name drug. For example, after the patient takes the generic drug, the amount of drug in the bloodstream is measured.  If the levels of the drug in the bloodstream are the same as the levels found when the brand name product is used, the generic drug will work the same.;;;;;

[Golgota]

4 hours ago, chakatee said:

explain?

Generic drugs are exactly the same drugs, just unbranded. The molecule and effect must be the same to be approved. 

 

[Khun Han]

5 hours ago, chakatee said:

explain?

 

Because the drugs are chemically the same, and are, more often than not, produced in the same factories by the same machinery to the same formula and manufacturing process.

 

Of course, Khunying Suttirat could just be telling porkies rather than displaying ignorance .

[retarius]

There is no difference at all between original brand name drugs and generic from a reputable source. In the UK generic prescribing is mandated by law. There is no evidence at all that patient have been harmed or are dying like flies. Bog Pharma that want to continue to make excessive profits even after patent expiry dreamed up this 'harming patients' smear years ago and continues to use it on stupid, ignorant and gullible people.

[chakatee]

For some medicines you're right, not for all though.
Just as a sample, read on studies about therapeutic equivalence of generics vs. brand medications for Carbamazepine, Levetiracetam, Alendronate, Meropenem, Teicoplanin, Levothyroxine, Clozapine, Citalopram and several "ER" (extended release) medications.

[noahvail]

1 hour ago, chakatee said:

For some medicines you're right, not for all though.
Just as a sample, read on studies about therapeutic equivalence of generics vs. brand medications for Carbamazepine, Levetiracetam, Alendronate, Meropenem, Teicoplanin, Levothyroxine, Clozapine, Citalopram and several "ER" (extended release) medications.

Back in NZ, generic Lipitor ended up giving me the same blood lab results as taking nothing at all - whereas branded Lipitor was very effective in bringing me down to acceptable levels. I and nearly 1,300 others were given letters from the government granting lifetime dispensation from their generic requirement, after showing proof via lab results.

[meatboy]

15 hours ago, retarius said:

There is no difference at all between original brand name drugs and generic from a reputable source. In the UK generic prescribing is mandated by law. There is no evidence at all that patient have been harmed or are dying like flies. Bog Pharma that want to continue to make excessive profits even after patent expiry dreamed up this 'harming patients' smear years ago and continues to use it on stupid, ignorant and gullible people.

i think i can go back to 2005 when i was on a drug costing 28 gbp.and found them to be great.

then came the crackdown by the NHS. that i was only to have the generic version.i took it to a tribunal and lost as it was proved that the generic tabs.contained the same indgediants.since heart surgery in 2007 i still take generics with no problems at all.

[noahvail]

This article from Fortune describes how generics can differ from brands by nearly 25% and still be given FDA approval. http://fortune.com/2013/01/10/are-generics-really-the-same-as-branded-drugs/

 

I have known about this for 20 years. So have pharmacists, even longer. It's nothing new, and it wreaks havoc because of the lack of consistency between suppliers in dosing generics.