Pharmacists under the umbrella of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) have appealed to medical doctors to embrace the idea of prescribing medicines with generic names rather than brand names.
The National Chairman of the association, Pharm. Adewale Oladigbolu, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday.
He also emphasised the need for a strategic policy on prescribing and dispensing medicines to promote local brands.
Acknowledging the fact that different pharmaceutical companies produce medicines with same function but different brand names, Oladigbolu encouraged physicians to prescribe medicines in their generic names rather than brand names.
Adopting this system, he said will promote local drug manufacturing and local brands.
“Why should a physician be prescribing Augmentin when we know there are hundreds of similar products with the same efficacy in the market registered by NAFDAC?
“If a physician writes Amoxicillin clavulanate capsule which is the generic name for Augmentin, the pharmacist can prescribe any available drug in the category”.
Oladigbola said Augmentin currently costs about N25, 000 in the markets due to the exist of its manufacturer- GlaxoSmithKline from the country in August last year, whereas similar products sell for N2, 500, with the same function.
Highlighting the impact of the exit of pharmaceutical companies on drug prices and availability, Oladigbolu advised companies to give prior notice to NAFDAC.
He emphasized the importance of regulations to ensure that companies intending to exit notify the Securities and Exchange Commission to safeguard shareholders.
Oladigbolu called for the introduction and implementation of similar regulations through the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control to ensure medicine availability and protect patient safety.
He suggested that companies should file an exit application with NAFDAC, providing details of the products being manufactured and outlining plans to sustain the availability of such products in the market.
According to Oladigbolu, this application would enable NAFDAC to identify sensitive products, the number of patients using them, and engage stakeholders on alternatives, which might include local production or importation.
He highlighted the negative consequences of the current open drug distribution market in Nigeria, including counterfeit medicines, treatment failures, and increased morbidity and mortality among citizens.
Oladigbolu underscored the adverse impact of the open drug market and the challenging operating environment on the survival of pharmaceutical companies, leading to their increasing departure from the country.
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