Big pharma’s dirty secret? Citizens demand crackdown on fake generics and price gouging

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaJune 15, 2025

A fiery workshop in Guwahati blew the lid off growing public anger over shady practices in the pharmaceutical industry and the government’s failure to ensure access to affordable, quality medicines.

Organized by the Centre of Medical and Sales Representatives Union (CRU), the event at Machkhowa ITA Centre brought together activists, journalists, and healthcare experts under the banner “Affordable Quality Medicine – Citizens’ Rights.”

CRU (Northeast) president Jeevan Jyoti Duarah chaired the session, while CRU general secretary Rahul Purkayastha opened with a blunt overview: India’s drug landscape is riddled with loopholes, from the misuse of generic labels to the chaos of online drug sales and GST complications.

Partha Rakshite, general secretary of FMRAI, didn’t mince words: “Generic medicine? It’s a myth.” He claimed what’s available in the market are just patented and off-patented drugs wrapped in marketing spin. Citing the Indian Drugs Patent Act of 1970, Rakshite warned that bad actors are skirting the law, pushing substandard drugs under the guise of affordability.

Veteran journalist Amar Jyoti Bhuyan of Dainik Asom Patrika added fuel to the fire. He criticized government hospitals for not stocking genuine generics and accused pharma firms of flooding the market with fake or low-grade drugs. His demand? A government crackdown and price control tied directly to manufacturing costs.

Dr. Chiranjit Kakati, Assam Drug Dealers Association’s Bikram Choudhury, and CITU’s state general secretary Tapan Sarma all echoed a simple truth: access to safe, affordable medicine is a fundamental right. And that right is under threat.

Their message was clear: citizens must get informed, get organized, and push back against a system that puts profits over people’s health.