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  • 4 days ago
President of the Private Pharmacy Retail Business Association, Glenwayne Suchit, is applauding the Prime Minister's vow to dismantle what she bluntly labelled a pharmaceutical monopoly gripping the nation. In an interview on the TV6 Morning Edition, Suchit said the industry has been buckling under pressure for years, begging for real regulation. But he says those please were ignored until now.

More from Nicole M Romany.
Transcript
00:00Earlier this week, Suchit told a parliamentary committee that just a small number of powerful players
00:06has effectively taken hold of the country's pharmacy sector, controlling prices and a distribution.
00:13In response, Prime Minister Kamala Passat-Bissasa has since condemned the situation as shameful,
00:21promising to crack down on it and restore real competition.
00:24Suchit tells the Morning Edition that this is a call the sector has raised time and time again,
00:31but their plight fell on deaf ears.
00:35Basically, we have been stymied by the Fair Trade Commission.
00:41We have been stymied in many instances by the previous administration in the Ministry of Health,
00:47Chemistry, Food and Drug, as Mr. Lanshan indicated there.
00:50He indicated that, you know, we need to have a bit of relaxation,
00:55but I want it to be fully understood by the Chemistry, Food and Drug.
00:59While we want a relaxed environment, we also want to have an environment which encourages foreign investment.
01:07Suchit says, the goal is to create a system that gives international manufacturers,
01:12both big brand name companies and reputable generic producers,
01:17the confidence to enter the local market with their products.
01:22He explains this would allow pharmacies to broaden the range of medication available to the public,
01:29adding that right now, the regulatory climate simply isn't favorable enough to attract that kind of investment.
01:38Suchit also points out that generic drugs are often just as effective
01:42as their brand name counterparts, yet patients are frequently prescribed the more expensive brands,
01:48leaving many of them unable to afford the treatment they need.
01:52Branded products generally tend to be the higher priced products,
01:56and the generic options are there.
01:58But we have very limited generic options,
02:01and the generic options now available in this country are controlled by the minority.
02:06He is calling on Chemistry, Food and Drug to start approving more generic medication for private pharmacies,
02:14so patients can actually access them.
02:17Suchit stresses.
02:19They're not asking for lower quality drugs.
02:21They're asking for fair, balanced pricing that levels the playing field.
02:26We are not asking for the easing up in the stringent regulations as regards the quality of the medications.
02:37We are not asking for substandard products to be brought in.
02:40We are asking for quality products to be brought in.
02:42This would literally make a serious dent and break in the monopoly by the drug companies
02:50that are carrying the international pharma brands,
02:53and it will give the patient, as he indicated, cheaper pricing to have better compliance in their medication.
02:59Meanwhile, the Association's Vice President, Steve Lalchan, tells the Morning Edition
03:04he hopes the government will finally bring real change to the monopoly in the pharmacy sector.
03:11He also points out that Chemistry, Food and Drug approves generic medication for government institutions
03:17like health centres, but not for private pharmacies, a situation he says is unfair.
03:24We do welcome the Prime Minister's comments.
03:28We hope that the government, that is, will look closely at what is needed and not do something superficial.
03:37We hope that they will change the laws, and they will also change the laws in a way that protects mostly the public
03:45from being the victims of high prices, nepotism, monopoly, or whatever word can be used
03:52to describe how the small man battles from a day-to-day in his life.
03:59Nicole M. Romany, TV6 News.
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