Srinagar, Jan 12: A massive citizen-funded study has demonstrated that generic medicines in India are equivalent in quality to expensive branded drugs.
Available at a fraction of the price, the revelation could transform healthcare affordability for crores.
The research ‘The Citizens Generic versus Brand Drugs Quality Project,’ has tested 131 samples across categories.
The results, released earlier this month, show that all the generic drugs passed rigorous quality standards.
The findings challenge the long-held fears and concerns about generic drugs being inferior in quality.
The results have been reported to be unequivocal to prove that 100 percent of the samples met quality benchmarks.
No meaningful difference between generics and brands has been found.
The average drug content was 99.45 percent overall.
It was 101.35 percent for branded medicines and 99.10 percent for generics, both within acceptable limits.
However, when it comes to price, the disparities were stark: branded drugs averaged Rs 11.17 per tablet, while Jan Aushadhi generics cost just Rs 2.40 on average.
This made generics 49 percent cheaper overall.
Jan Aushadhi medicines emerged as the most affordable option for 82 percent of the tested medicines.
As an example, Pantoprazole costs Rs 16.82 per pill in branded form but only Rs 1.21 as a generic.
This price disparity, to the tune of 14 times, with the same quality strikes as a bolt from the blue for consumers in India, most of whom are struggling to make ends meet, and where the cost of medicines costs them a fortune.
Similarly, Atorvastatin, a medicine used for reducing cholesterol, is Rs 5.67 in branded form, while its generic costs Rs 0.98.
As per the details, published on the official X handle of Dr Cyriac Abby Philips, medicines across categories like antibiotics, heart medications, diabetes drugs, and pain relievers.
The samples were sourced from various outlets, including top branded products, branded generics, and Jan Aushadhi stores.
The study has been carried out through public contributions and no pharmaceutical sponsorship. Eureka Analytical Services Pvt Ltd, an accredited lab in Haryana, has tested the samples using Indian Pharmacopoeia standards for parameters including drug content (assay), dissolution, uniformity, impurities, and physical appearance.
“Every single generic passed! Same quality as expensive brands, and up to 14x cheaper,” Dr Philips posted on his X handle @TheLiverDoc.
Dr Phillips has spearheaded the initiative.
“This narrative that generic drugs ‘are never good’ has been deeply ingrained into doctors and patients alike,” he wrote.
However, the research has found some red flags too.
Generic Aadhaar Pharmacy products were found to be 67 percent to 887 percent more expensive than Jan Aushadhi equivalents in many cases.
The project has called for greater transparency, public quality data from policymakers, and pharmacist substitution of verified generics in order to make healthcare accessible for all.
