Big pharma companies plan cheaper alternatives for Ayushman Bharat insurance

Multinational pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline Pharma and Abbott have reportedly proposed to launch a low priced “second brand” of their products which can be introduced into government’s flagship Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme.

Urging the government to create “policy provisions” to allow launch of second brands for introduction into the state-run insurance scheme, the US India Business Council (USIBC) asked the government for a safeguard policy mechanism so that such supplies are exempted from price referencing.

The suggestion is part of a list of other measures proposed by USIBC, including conducting screening camps for identifying patients and assisting the government in national health stack, an ambitious plan being considered by government to digitally store health records of all Indians by 2022.

Earlier this month, a delegation from the council met officials of the National Health Agency, which is responsible for implementation of Ayushman Bharat, the world’s largest public healthcare scheme, and also suggested integration of the existing Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP), which supplies generic medicines at around 50% discount, to strengthen Ayushman Bharat.

The companies have also offered to participate through innovative public private partnership models to address infrastructure and services demand in the healthcare sector.