Govt plans crackdown on lookalike drug brands

NEW DELHI: Drug manufacturers are likely to face increasing scrutiny of their branding practices, as the government plans to crack down on lookalike and soundalike brand names of medicines that it believes cause confusion and pose serious risk to patient safety.According to people in the know, the government is likely to consider as valid only the brand names which were approved first by the regulator. Other same or similar sounding and lookalike brands will not be allowed to be marketed. Drug makers will soon be asked to upload formulation details along with the brand names of their products on the government’s portal.

This issue was recently discussed in the health ministry. “It has been brought to the notice that a large number of drugs are being sold in India with identical brand names treating entirely different conditions,” a person in the know told ET. “The consequences of confusion between these medications at the pharmacy can be serious for patients.”

To address the issue of identical brand names in the market, the government has proposed that the database of all the products with brand names in the Sugam portal be made accessible to the public. India has been grappling with the issue of manufacturing and marketing of different drugs with the same brand name for long, another person in the know told ET.

One such example include ‘Olvance’ a brand name for the antihypertensive drug olmesartan, and ‘Oleanz’, a brand of the antipsychotic drug olanzapine. Another is IMOX (amoxicillin tablets for humans) and INIMOX (a combination of amoxicillin and cloxacillin10 as an injection for veterinary use).

In January, the Drugs Technical Advisory Board, India’s apex drug advisory body, deliberated on the issue of same brand name (including lookalike and soundalike ones) for different category of products and it suggested that to ensure patient safety, manufacturing and marketing of different drugs with the same brand name should not be allowed.

After that, the director general of health services (DGHS) has written to the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks, seeking increased surveillance and monitoring of trademarks associated with pharmaceutical products to identify instances of similarity or confusion.

“It has come to our attention that various drugs, including those with soundalike and lookalike names, are being produced and distributed under identical or similar trademarks. The situation not only creates confusion among healthcare professionals and patients but also increases the likelihood of medication errors, adverse drug reactions and other serious health consequences,” the DGHS letter said.

The letter sent in May was to ensure the integrity of pharmaceutical trademarks and protect public health by stricter implementation of trademark regulation, another person said. The DGHS has asked the trademarks office to prioritise the issue and take immediate steps to strengthen trademark regulations for medicines.

The drugs consultative committee will deliberate and give its recommendations in the matter this month, a person in the know said.