The NMC in its ‘Regulations relating to Professional Conduct of Registered Medical Practitioners’ also asked doctors to avoid prescribing branded generic drugs. Even though doctors are currently required to prescribe generic drugs only, there are no penal provisions mentioned in the regulations issued in 2002 by the Indian Medical Council.
The NMC regulations notified on August 2, stated that India’s out-of-pocket spending on medications accounts for a major proportion of public spending on healthcare. “Generic medicines are 30% to 80% cheaper than branded drugs. Hence, prescribing generic medicines may overtly bring down healthcare costs and improve access to quality care,” it said.

The NMC defined generic medicines as a “drug product that is comparable to brand/reference listed product in dosage form, strength, route of administration, quality and performance characteristics, and intended use”. A branded generic drug is one which has come off patent, is manufactured by drug companies and sold under different companies’ brand names.
It said prescriptions should be legible and preferably written in all caps. If possible, they should be typed and printed to avoid errors. PTI