Govt eyes opening 160 more 'Jan Aushadhi' stores by FY10-end

The government plans to open 160 more 'Jan Aushadhi' or generic drug-stores across the country by the end of this fiscal.

"We are planning to increase the number of our generic drug stores (Jan Aushadhi) from 40 to 200 across the country by March 2010. We are getting a good response from the existing 40 generic drug stores," Deparment of Pharmaceuticals Secretary Ashok Kumar told reporters on the sidelines of a pharma summit here today.

It would, however, be difficult to achieve this target, Kumar said "unless government doctors prescribe generic medicines".

Jan Aushadhi, the government-assisted 24x7 retail stores for selling one-branded generic medicines were opened pan India last November as part of the Centre's multi-stakeholder strategy to make affordable medicines available to people.

The country's first Jan Aushadhi generic store was opened in last November at Amritsar.

Kumar said, so sar 126 pharma companies have shown interest in producing and providing generic drugs to these stores.