Hyderabad: Experts say that the “immediate” ban of FDC drugs by the government has left doctors with the burden of making the patients understand the change in their drug regimes.
Senior endocrinologist Dr Sneha Kothari said, “A three-month period should have been given so that the patients could understand that there was a shift in the drug regime. Presently, half of the doctors have not even gone through the government list. It is mostly through hearsay or when a patient comes back with the prescription saying that the drug is not available.” Experts say that the “actual data” of drug-to-drug interaction and side effects are not published, leaving a grey area on whether they really cause damage.
A senior endocrinologist said, “There is an ambiguity as companies have been projecting their clinical data regarding their drugs’ efficacy and not very damaging side effects. A section of doctors have also found that side effects, if any, are reversible and not leading to any alarming damage to the body. Given these views, how much is the ban justified? What about the patients? Those who had found some levels of control will now be forced to shift to newer regimes.”
