Practice of prescribing branded drugs instead of generics remarked by Anticorruption chief

Doctors often prescribe branded drugs rather then their generic names, thus depriving patients of a choice between cheaper and more expensive medicines, noted Viorel Cheptaru, the director of the Center for Combating Economic Crimes and Corruption, at a Government meeting featuring pharmaceutical market stakeholders, Info-Prim Neo reports. Viorel Cheptaru said that the reasons why doctors wrote prescriptions for brands instead of generics were unclear. “It is a common practice among family doctors and other physicians. There are currently no clear rules to stipulate concretely which drugs should be prescribed by doctors”, said Viorel Chetraru. Health Minister Andrei Usatyi admitted that such cases were quite common and effective solutions would be looked for to eliminate them. He didn't rule out that certain financial benefits could be a motive for the doctors. “There are some mutual agreements. These things are known and we'll look for solutions”, promised the minister.