To make available drugs at cheaper rates on mass scale, the Centre plans to open generic drug stores in eleven states including Haryana and Punjab in collaboration with the pharmaceutical industry, state governments and Non-Governmental Organisation (NGOs).
"We have identified 11 states where we will be opening Unbranded Generic Drug stores and we hope to kick off this project in this financial year itself," said Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Department of Pharmaceuticals, Secretary Ashok Kumar on the sidelines of National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) function.
The state government would provide logistics for the opening of these stores while pharmaceuticals companies would supply the medicines to these stores, he informed.
An agreement with the drug manufacturers would be arrived with regard to rate at which they would supply medicines to stores.
"Although the decided rate will be lesser than the market rates of generic drugs but we will ensure that these stores must earn profit for its viability," he said further clarifying that no state would be allowed to sell subsidized medicines through this store and NGOs would run these stores," he said.