Paracetamol brands get muffled, experts call for regulation on Dolo-650

This enabled the brand to register itself in the minds of people.
For representational purposes
For representational purposes

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Despite the availability of 89 brands of paracetamol, most doctors prescribe Dolo-650, thanks to an aggressive marketing strategy by Micro Labs that manufactures the medicine. The Bengaluru-based Micro Labs had recently courted controversy with the Federation of Medical and Sales Representatives’ Association of India (FMRAI) alleging that the firm distributed freebies worth Rs 1,000 crore so that doctors would prescribe Dolo widely to flu patients. However, Micro Labs claimed it is impossible for any company to spend Rs 1,000 crore on the marketing of a brand that did sales worth Rs 350 crore in the Covid year.

Dr Suma Balan, a rheumatology professor with the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi, says it is not only the doctors who prescribe Dolo but medical shops too are pushing the pricey tablet when there are effective paracetamol brands available at one-third of its price. TNIE checked the availability of different brands of paracetamol tablets at a few private medical stores in the capital city and also at the government-run ‘In-House Drug Bank’ at the Thiruvananthapuram medical college.

A majority of the low-priced paracetamol brands like Algina 650mg, Febrinil 650mg, Paracip, Lanol ER, Doliza ER 650mg and Parafizz 650mg -- which are priced in the range of Rs 9.70 to Rs 21.48 per strip of 10 to 15 tablets -- are unavailable there. However, all these medical shops have Calpol 650 (Rs 29.02) and Dolo 650 (Rs 30.24) in abundance. But the ‘In-House Drug Bank’ sells it at a lower price.

“ I believe the problem is the price regulation, more than anything else,” she pointed out.She said there are all sorts of brands of 650mg tablets, from the cheaply-priced to the overpriced end of Rs 30 for a strip of 15 tablets.“Why is the MRP more than 300 times the distributor’s price? This issue has to be addressed by the regulatory bodies,” said Dr Suma. Dr P S Jinesh -- of Info Clinic, a Facebook group -- said patients should be allowed to choose which medicine they should take.

“If the patients are hesitant, then the doctors should be allowed to choose the medicine brand,” said Dr Jinesh, one of the founding doctors who started Info Clinic to fight fake news and misinformation about medicine on social media.

Vinod Venugopal, a senior medical sales person in Thiruvananthapuram, said, “Several memes had come up on social media about Dolo-650. This enabled the brand to register itself in the minds of people. If given an option, the chemist shops would prefer to give generic brands like Dolo-650 over the counter,” he said.

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