Now, Apps that help you cut your medical bills; Healthkart Plus, My Dawai and Get Med suggest cheaper generic alternatives : - Sujata Krishnan (not her real name) is an epileptic. She had been buying Pfizer's Lyrica, priced at Rs768.56 for a strip of 14 capsules, till a few weeks ago.
When the 39-year-old discovered a cheaper alternative, Cipla's Prebaxe at Rs59 for 10 capsules, she confronted her doctor.
Antibiotic drug Augmentin, which is used to treat bacterial infections, manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline costs Rs141 for a strip of six tablets (Rs 23.5 per tablet). The same drug containing Amoxicillin and Clavulanic acid is sold by Pfizer under the brand name Warclav Duo at Rs8.28 per tablet — almost 65% cheaper than Augmentin.
It is widely known that doctors are often tilted towards pharma companies, which directly or indirectly bribe them with cash vouchers or lavish gifts, including foreign holidays. This creates a conflict of interest while prescribing drugs. "It is a fact that doctors frequently prescribe costlier brands when cheaper options with the same efficacy may be available," Dr Chetan Kantharia, liver surgeon at KEM Hospital in Parel, said.
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