The Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP), which distributes low-cost generic medications via Jan Aushadhi Kendras (retail stores), reported sales of 1,236 crore in FY23, up 38% year over year.
The revenue was 893 crore in FY22. The original target for the scheme under the five-year plan was 775 crore, but we have now surpassed the 1,200 crore revised target set by the government, according to Ravi Dadhich, CEO of the Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI), the ministry of chemical & fertilisers organisation responsible for implementing PMBJP. Dadhich credited the increase in sales to a variety of actions done in the previous two years, including expanding the Jan Aushadhi Kendra network, guaranteeing enough access to medications, and the Prime Minister’s vigorous promotion of the programme.
The government has so far put into operation 9,300 Jan Aushadhi Kendras, offering items that are 50–90% less expensive than branded ones, including 1,800 life-saving medications, 285 surgical, nutraceutical, and medical gadgets. Small business owners manage the Jan Aushadhi Kendras, or shops. PMBI purchases medications through open tenders and distributes them to the retailers through its warehouses.
In FY24, Dadhich stated, “We have an aim to expand the number of kendras to 10,000.”
In order to boost the density of Jan Aushadhi Kendra in certain areas, the government has requested proposals from 651 districts.
To cut down on patients’ out-of-pocket (OOP) expenses, the Union government has been promoting affordable generics. Medicines account for a sizable portion of India’s overall OOP healthcare spending—about 63% of the entire cost. In India, generic drugs make up about 95% of the market. Of these, 90% are branded generics, which are promoted aggressively and built up through hordes of medical representatives. The remaining 10% are trade generics, which are much less expensive because they don’t have selling and marketing costs. Nonetheless, concerns about the effectiveness and quality of generic medications were frequently voiced.
The assertions that generic medications are of inferior quality are untrue, according to Dadhich. He claims that even significant drug exporters provide Jan Aushadhi.
