From 50 Years Ago: De-Indoctrinating Doctors

De-Indoctrinating Doctors

If regulation of the drug industry and trade is to be effective, it cannot be confined to fixation of maximum prices on a crude historical basis which only freezes past price differentials or to freer licensing of patents. Pharmacopoeia standards must be laid down for the principal 150 or 200 drugs and they must be sternly enforced, along with surprise checks on conditions of production. The specifications and indications for these principal drugs must be supplied free by Government or the Medical Council to every medical practitioner, along with their approximate retail prices. Doctors must be required to prescribe drugs by their abbreviated generic, not brand, names and encouraged to tell the patient the price range open to him. Facilities for clinical testing of competitive drug preparations should be provided at leading hospitals and the results of the tests should be made available freely.