Aimed at providing accessible, standardized and affordable generic medicines, the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) Kendras, which currently offer a product basket of 1,451 drugs and 240 surgical instruments, have added nutraceuticals products, including  protein powder and bar, malt-based food supplements and immunity bar for its customers. Under the PMBJP being implemented by the Department of Pharmaceuticals, a medicine is priced on the principle of a maximum of 50% of average price of the top three brands of the said medicine. Thus, the prices of Jan Aushadhi Medicines are cheaper at least by 50% and in some cases, by 80% to 90% of the market price of the branded medicines. In India, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority under the Department of Pharmaceuticals regulates the prices of all drugs – whether branded or generic. Currently there are about 8,675 PMBJP Kendras that have been opened in districts across the country with three IT enabled warehouses functional at Gurugram, Chennai and Guwahati and fourth one is ready to start operations at Surat. “Point-of-Sale” application for value added services has been implemented by the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI) to monitor end-to-end supply chain management systems. About PMBJP

• Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) is a campaign launched by the Department of Pharmaceuticals to provide quality medicines at affordable prices to the masses.
• In September 2015, an existing ‘Jan Aushadhi Scheme’ was revamped as ‘Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Yojana’ and in November, 2016, to give further impetus to the scheme, it was again renamed as “Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana”.
• PMBJP stores have been set up to provide generic drugs, which are available at lesser prices but are equivalent in quality and efficacy as expensive branded drugs.
• Bureau of Pharma PSUs of India (BPPI) is the implementing agency for PMBJP.

Objectives of PMBJP

• Making quality medicines available at affordable prices for all, particularly the poor and disadvantaged, through exclusive outlets “Jan Aushadhi Kendras”, to reduce out of pocket expenses in healthcare.
• Create awareness among the public regarding generic medicines.
• Create demand for generic medicines through medical practitioners.
• Create awareness through education and awareness programs that high price need not be synonymous with high quality.

Generic drugs

• When a company develops a new drug — often after years of research — it applies for a patent, which prohibits anyone else from making the drug for a fixed period.
• To recover the cost of research and development, companies usually price their brand- name drugs on the higher side.
• Once the patent expires, other manufacturers duplicate and market their own versions of the drug.

National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA)

• National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), was established in 1997 as an independent body of experts as per the decision taken by the Cabinet committee in 1994 while reviewing Drug Policy as regulator for pricing of drugs.
• It has been constituted as an attached office of the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP), Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers.
• The Authority has been entrusted with the task of Fixation/revision of prices of pharmaceutical products (bulk drugs and formulations), Enforcement of provisions of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order. Monitoring of the prices of controlled and decontrolled drugs in the country.
• The NPPA currently fixes prices of drugs placed in the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) under Schedule-I of the DPCO.
• Non-scheduled drugs are allowed an increase of up to 10 per cent in prices every year, which is monitored by the NPPA.
• NPPA can also fix the price for non-scheduled drugs by invoking extraordinary powers in public interest, under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013.

Bureau of Pharma PSUs of India (BPPI)

• The Bureau of Pharma PSUs of India comprising all the Pharma CPSUs under the Department of Pharmaceuticals was established in 2008.
• It aims to bring about effective collaboration and cooperation in furthering the working and resources of these organizations.