The Ministry of Health (MoH) is considering taking action against doctors found to be biased in favor of certain pharmaceutical companies and promoting only products from these companies.
Following repeated complaints and internal investigation to ascertain the truth behind such reports, the MoH is stressing that all doctors when they prescribe medicines should only mention the scientific name of medicines and not their brand names.
Minister of Health, Sheikh Dr. Bassel Al-Sabah, also issued a decision that doctors must only prescribe medicines that are approved by the ministry and are listed with the Department of Registration and Control of Medicinal and Plant Medicines, and not prescribe unapproved medical interventions for patients.
Sheikh Dr. Bassel indicated that all experimental treatments, not mentioned in the internal circular approved by the Department of Registration and Control of Medicinal and Plant Medicines, are considered clinical research, and must be submitted to the Permanent Committee for Coordination of Medical and Health Research to study and agree to conduct the research in accordance with the controls and conditions governing medical research.
For his part, the Assistant Undersecretary for Drug and Food Control Affairs, Dr. Abdullah Al-Badr, affirmed that “this new decision will contribute in the dispensing of drugs through internationally applicable standards and prevent the possibility of reaching agreements to promote specific medications, as there’s no difference between ‘innovative’ drug and ‘generic’ drugs in terms of safety and efficacy”. He explained the scientific name of a drug is the name of the active substance in it, while the trademark is the name the manufacturer calls the medicine.
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