THIS govt app will decrease your medicines bill; suggests cost-effective alternative medicines

'Pharma Sahi Daam' has been created by National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority to suggest consumers cost-effective but same medicinal properties alternatives to the branded medicines.

New Delhi: Central government has recently launched the app called ‘Pharma Sahi Daam’ to decrease the burden of branded medicines on consumers. This app is easily available at playstore to download, both on Android and iOS. It has been created by National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority to suggest consumers cheap but same properties alternatives to the branded medicines.

If your doctor writes a branded medicine for your disease, you can go to the app and type the name of the medicine. Then the app will show you cost-effective substitutes of the branded medicines which you can take. They might have different names but have the medicinal properties.

For example, Augmentin is one of the most selled antibiotics in India. This branded medicine is cost around Rs 200 for 10 tablets. However, the less 10 costly alernatives you will get on the app which provides the same medicine at Rs 50 for 6 tablets.

Similar, PAN D, which uses against acidity, is cost around Rs 199 for 15 capsules. But its alternatives will cost Rs 22 for 10 capsules.

In India, the cost of medicines depends on supply and demand like other items such as Toothpaste or Soap. However, Government has some conrol over 33 % medicines in India.  Government has created the list of essential medicines and keeps the price of them in check.

The National PHARMACEUTICAL PRICING AUTHORITY ( NPPA) decides the price of medicines coming under the National List of Essential Medicines in India. The prices of 355 medicines and their 882 formulations in India are fixed under DRUG PRICE CONTROL ORDER (DPCO).