Subtheme | Categories and subcategories | Quotations |
Reasons of particular brand shortage | Lack of traditional distribution system and resulting unlawful practices including parallel distribution, grey marketing, illegal drug trafficking and artificial shortage | ‘…if the seasonal demand of certain medicine is increased then distributors stock that product and they sell in black market by increasing rates …and they also smuggle product in other district or other country where they could get high rate so, some shortages are due to this reason.’ (Regulator 11) ‘Provided that manufacturer has sufficient quantity of product available and they are willing to supply to the market then distributors create artificial shortage of some high demand products and they attach such products with some other low demand products. So due to this there artificial shortage of high demand product is created.’ (Regulator 3) |
Sudden demand fluctuation due to seasonal effects or natural disasters | ‘Sometimes there is disease outbreak due to some seasonal effects so the problem gets worse and the demand of the particular brand is increased.’ (Distributor 7) | |
Marketing influenced prescribing | ‘Doctors have received money so they stick to one brand, due to which the demand of a particular brand increases and it gets short.’ (Manufacturer 1) | |
Production hurdles | ‘Production breakdown happens. If chemical manufacturing controls (CMC) are faulty and there is some issue or if there is any other safety reason because of which they have to stop the production or supply of medicine…’ (Manufacturer 2) | |
Sole brand of drug | ‘The reason of the particular brand shortage is when one company is manufacturing it…’ (Regulator 8) ‘Those drugs get short that don’t have their ‘me too’ in the market means there are some drugs which are only manufactured by 1 or 2 companies. So the products manufactured by only one or two companies are mostly short…’ (Regulator 8) | |
Voluntary recall due to quality and stability issues | ‘Often it also happens if there is some faulty batch then manufacturer recall it from the market and due this reason the brand gets short.’ (Pharmacist 11) | |
Solutions of particular brand shortage | Promotion of traditional distribution system and eradiation of parallel distribution, grey marketing, illegal drug trafficking and artificial shortage | ‘Government should make such rules and regulations, and should implement them to prevent illegal marketing. They should first of all seal the unregistered drugs and beside this they should find out the linkers of black market. And they should do strictness on manufacturer then black marketing would not be possible anymore. Because this happens when there is no supply from company, so who have had stock, they start selling it on high prices.’ (Regulator 2) |
Generic prescribing | ‘There is a need to finish brand prescription and introduce generic. I think 90% of the problem will be resolved and this will be the best solution.’ (Regulator 4) | |
Prompt new registration allotments | ‘There are some products whose registration is granted to few companies and are short. Their registration must be granted to other manufacturers as well, so that there is healthy competition and shortage doesn’t occur.’ (Distributor 4) | |
Demand of particular brand by the patients | Preferred doctors’ prescription | ‘Actually patient normally uses that medicine which is prescribed to him by doctor. If they are prescribing a particular brand then normally patient sticks to that, although alternative products are available but unless prescriber will not change, he will definitely insist to buy that product.’ (Regulator 3) |
Patient’s lack of knowledge and awareness | ‘They lack information that what is generic and what is brand, if you try to convince that this alternate is the same as prescribed by doctor then he still says that he exactly want that brand which is written by the doctor.’ (Regulator 9) | |
Trust on brand and psychological acceptance | ‘Obviously, if patient is using brand and he is comfortable and it is controlling his disease than this has psychological acceptance. He doesn’t want to take risk.’ (Manufacturer 2) | |
Prescribing of a particular short brand by doctors | Influence of the promotional marketing strategies | ‘Doctors take incentives from the companies. So they prescribe the brand of that company from whom they have received incentives. That’s why they prescribe brands and don’t go towards generics.’ (Regulator 9) |
Reliability and confidence on particular brand | ‘It is just a matter of confidence. Doctors have confidence on specific brand.’ (Distributor 2) | |
Lack of information about the shortages of particular brand | ‘They don’t know…companies don’t tell them and the reason behind this is that when prescription run in the market then further demand is created and this is the actual requirement of the manufacturer to increase demand.’ (Manufacturer 5) |