In US according to the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics, over 78% of the almost four billion prescriptions written in 2010 were generic drugs.
Painkiller Hydrocodone with 131.2 million prescriptions tops the list, up three million from 2009. The remaining drugs in the top 10 were, in order, generic Zocor (cholesterol-reducing statin), Lisinopril (blood pressure drug), generic Synthroid (thyroid hormone), generic Norvasc (angina/blood pressure), generic Prilosec (antacid), Azithromycin (antibiotic), Amoxicillin (antibiotic), generic Glucophage (diabetes), and Hydrochlorothiazide (Diuretic, to reduce water from body through urination).
This shift is a good tend and will reduce the healthcare cost. In India though Govt. has opened generic medicine stores in the name of "Jana Ausadhi", people's medicine; perhaps the physicians are less inclined to prescribe those. Perhaps some other consideration play a major role in prescribing branded medicines.
Prescribing and selling generic brands may reduce some of the spending in the shape of propaganda/advertisement in various forms. It will save the time of physicians spent in attending to the sales representatives; diverting that time towards patient care.
When a country like US is choosing to go to generic from branded drugs, why can not we Indians.
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