India recalls generic drug prescription mandate

In a major reprieve, India's National Medical Commission (NMC) has put on hold with immediate effect its recent regulation mandating doctors to prescribe only generic drugs or face strict punishment.

Heaving a sigh of relief at the end of a half-month stand-off, the Indian Medical Association and several doctors’ association who had approached the Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya about the matter, say the reversal in stance prioritizes patient safety and affordability of drugs, reports The Pharma Letter’s India correspondent.

New guidelines released by the NMC, a regulatory body, mandated doctors to prescribe only generic drugs and prohibited them from endorsing any particular drug brand.