Generic vs Brand names

Generic VS Brand products: The debate

Of late one Hindi film star is interfering with the medical law and ethical issues, as if there are no rules or regulation in this country called India. He himself takes three crores (30million rupees) per episode where he acts nicely to impress the viewers.

Suppose you go to a departmental store and picks up unbranded soap or a beauty cream which is slightly cheaper than the branded one, which one you will purchase? Whether you purchase a packet written washing powder, in another it’s written Ariel washing powder (which is of tested quality by you), naturally you go for Ariel. Exactly same holds true for medicines in India, where quality control takes a back seat, spurious drugs are everywhere and no government agency to take any preventive or curative measures.One thing we should remember that the same multinationals sell their product at a much higher rate in USA and UK than in India as the production cost is much less in India. These film stars and sports persons take huge amount for the advertisements, once that’s stopped the price of branded products will also come down. Will they do it for the good of the people of India?? No never.

A medicine firm spends billion for a new medicine to come to the counter, there are so many hurdles on the way when the new product has to be taken off and millions go through the drain. The world revolves around money hence how a medicine company, who spends a huge amount for a new product, will not like to earn a little profit out of it? Whereas Indian copy masters will produce the same generic product at a much cheaper price because they have neither spent money nor resources for the new brand.

What this film star is doing is playing to the gallery and being projected as messiah of poor people. He is trading in to a dangerous zone.He tried his hand objeting to a dam project, then with Anna Hazare for anti corruption.Let him first donate all his earning towards renovation of all the health centers in Bihar and UP and stop taking money from multinationals for the advertisements of soft drinks. Let the film stars, players & models be paid as per a new guidelines to be formulated by a board of directors but not as per their whims and tantrums. If the film stars can trade in to other’s zone then a time will come when public will decide their worth.