The pharma firms’ bid to directly supply medicines to doctors and hospitals has not gone down well with the Delhi Chemists and Druggists Association (CDA), which has called it a violation of the guidelines and standards set forth for distribution of pharmaceutical products.
The association has alleged that by approaching the doctors and hospitals, the Indian pharma companies are sidelining the authorised distributors.
In a strongly worded letter to all the pharmaceutical manufacturing companies, Sandeep Nangia, president of the Delhi CDA, said that such an act would collapse the existing distribution system. He wanted the manufacturers to support the pharma traders by sticking to the guidelines and standards that continue in the business sector for long.
Nangia has alleged that some manufacturing companies engage in certain distribution practices that include overlapping of proper channels, supplying stocks directly to doctors, nursing homes and private institutions, and offering billing at reduced rates. He said there have been instances of pharmaceutical products being supplied directly from company depots without the involvement of authorised distributors.
Stating that the two sectors are like the two side of the same coin, Nangia, who is a national leader of the chemist community, said the joint efforts between the industry and the trade will streamline the distribution channel all around, and they will in turn help for the growth and success of the pharma sector to ensure availability of authentic and reliable medicines in the market.