New Delhi: To increase the affordability of generic medicines and to provide low-cost benefits to consumers, the government has made it compulsory for pharmacies to display generic medicines clearly on separate shelves so that consumers can go for low-cost alternatives to costly branded drugs.

Through a recent notification, Dr. S. Eswara Reddy, Drugs Controller General of India, Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government Of India has decided that every retail outlet should provide a separate shelf/rack reserved exclusively for stocking generic medicines in the licensed premises separated from other medicines, which shall be visible to the consumers.

The issue of having a separate shelf/rack of generic medicines in every retail outlet in the country so as to promote the availability of generic medicines has been under consideration for quite sometimes and the matter has also been deliberated in the meetings of Drugs Consultative Committee (DCC) and Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB).

The authority has requested all the states and UT drug controllers to direct all the outlets licensed to sell drugs by retail under your jurisdiction to provide a separate shelf/rack reserved exclusively for stocking of generic medicines in the licensed premises separated from other medicines, which shall be visible to the consumers.

Below is the attached notification.