KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 21 — Local generics pharmaceutical manufacturers told a former Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president today to back up his statement that generic medicines are ineffective in certain cases.
The Malaysian Organisation of Pharmaceutical Industries (MOPI) said both branded and generic medicines must be registered with the Drug Control Authority of Malaysia (DCA) after meeting international standards on quality, safety and efficacy before they can be marketed in the country.
“If the learned doctor has evidence to substantiate his claim, then the appropriate thing for him to do would be to make such evidences available to the DCA through the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA), Ministry of Health Malaysia, which serves as its secretariat.
“Such a statement, though qualified with the word ‘sometimes’, unless duly substantiated, would cast aspersions on the integrity and capability of this august body (DCA) comprising of prominent members of the medical community including representations from the professional associations and responsible for approving all pharmaceutical products marketed in this country,” MOPI president Diong Sing Peng said in a statement.
MMA past president Dr Milton Lum told Malay Mail Online last Friday that generics sometimes do not work in cases of dialysis, high blood pressure, and arthritis, noting too resistance to generic antibiotics and common drugs.
Dr Lum was calling for greater transparency and efficiency in the Ministry of Health’s process for approving the prescription of branded drugs amid its generic first policy.
Diong said generics contribute 70 per cent to 80 per cent of the volume of medicines used in Malaysia, widely prescribed in both public healthcare facilities and private GP clinics, and claimed no untoward health episodes have been reported so far.
The MOPI president also said Dr Lum’s statement could “generate fear” among patients towards generic drugs that could subsequently cause them to stop taking their medicines and affect their health.
“Additionally, it would derail the Ministry of Health’s efforts in ensuring the accessibility and affordability of medicines for all through encouraging the use of generic medicines as clearly documented in the Malaysian National Medicines Policy,” said MOPI.
Malay Mail Online reported that pensioners will no longer be reimbursed if they buy brand-name medications unavailable at public hospitals as they will instead be given generics like other patients.
