Kolkata: Other brands fine if you can’t find prescribed drugs, says doctors

KOLKATA: Several prominent medicine brands are missing from stores though their alternatives and generic equivalents are available, say retailers and wholesellers. Consumers are often insisting on their prescribed medicines rather than settling for a substitute, which, according to doctors is unnecessary. It is creating an impression of a crisis which is not the case, they pointed out.

While there is no shortage of stock at the city’s wholesale markets, some popular brand medicines are low on stock.
Retailers and wholesalers on Wednesday pointed out that certain branded medicines for blood sugar, hypertension, thyroid and gastrological disorders are short in supply.
“Patients look forward to a few specific brands when they buy medicines. Normally, they don’t want to deviate from what they have been consuming for long or what the doctor has prescribed. We understand that. But these are exceptional circumstances and we are asking patients to opt for generic equivalents or substitutes,” said Prithvi Das, administrative secretary of Bengal Chemists and Druggists Association.
Several distributors at the Bagri market and Mehta Building claimed that despite adequate stock, certain brands are low on inventory.
“Take pantoprazole for example. Many are habituated with a particular medicine that has pantoprazole sodium sesquihydrate and domperidone. While there are other generic equivalents available in the market, patients would not accept that,” said Sajal Ganguly, general secretary of BCDA.
“It is not a crisis actually. Take Amlodipine for example. Even a small shop has nearly 20 generic equivalents of the medicine. But if a patient, unable to get a particular brand has a word with the doctor and gives him a few available options, the doctor can suggest an alternative,” said Manik Lal Das, a distributor in Behala and south Kolkata secretary of BCDA.
Hypertension patients may settle for sartel or telma in case telmikind is not available. It’s better to stick to a reputed pharmaceutical company than choose a dubious alternative, said AMRI Hospital consultant Debashish Saha. “Since supplies have been hit, substitutes will have to be used. While I would ask patients to avoid unknown or dubious brands,” added Saha.