STAY WITH ME.
A few years ago, a patient was referred to me because he was diagnosed with complicated cirrhosis. He had an infection which led to a condition called hepatic encephalopathy (brain failure due to high ammonia levels). The treatment largely involved ammonia reducing therapies. One drug was central to this - Rifaximin - a non-absorbable antibiotic that reduced ammonia in the body. I prescribed him Rifaximin for 6 weeks and advised him follow-up.
He came back to me, not after six weeks, but in 4 weeks, this time, in liver coma (worst stage of brain failure - due to very high ammonia). He spent two days in the ICU and six days in total in the hospital. His hospital bill was close to INR 80,000. He had no insurance and his wife borrowed the money from neighbors and friends to clear hospital dues.
Upon questioning, I found that he was not taking the Rifaximin drug I had prescribed. He was only on the other two drugs (one, a syrup called lactulose for improving ammonia clearance in gut). I was furious, because the patient spent a whole week unecessarily in the ICU and wasted so much money that he never had - just because he was "not compliant" to my orders. I decided it was time for me to school him a bit.
But I was wrong. He was compliant. He had purchased Rifaximin and was on it. For 15 days. Thereafter, he could not afford it. He was an autorickshaw driver who shuttled school children every morning and evening. He could hardly make ends meet. He had two children of his own. The Rifaximin brand I prescribed him was 42 rupees per tablet. He had to consume two a day - which would mean 2520 rupees a month. He just did not have that money - so he skipped it - to not compromise on other important matters - childrens education and food.
He was confused and scared about opting for a cheaper version of Rifaximin because one, he was unsure about the quality of Rifaximin that was not prescribed by me and two, he was "scared" that I would scold him for buying a cheaper Rifaximin and if that got him into trouble.
I was confused and scared about prescribing a cheaper version of Rifaximin because one, I was unsure about the quality of Rifaximin that was not "a good promoted brand" and two, I was "scared" that his family would scold me for prescribing a cheaper Rifaximin and if that got him into trouble.
It is heartbreaking that many doctors still simply don’t trust generic medicines. Too often, they worry that these cheaper options are lower quality or might cause more problems than the big, famous brands. This fear leads them to prescribe expensive drugs instead, and the real tragedy is that it pushes vital healthcare out of reach for the ordinary people who need it most - like my patient.
This narrative, that generic drugs 'are never good' and that only big pharmaceutical marketed drugs are what works has been deeply ingrained into doctors and patients alike - I do not know by whom and since when. Looking back, these strong emotions were based on either opinions, testimonials or second- and third-hand information. Not evidence.
Like I said. Stay with me. This is life changing and will disrupt the drug market in India. Here are the results of The Citizens Generic vs. Brand Drugs Quality Project.
1/11
IMPORTANT!
Dear friends, we need your help.
The Citizens Generics vs. Branded Drugs Project is now LIVE! for your contributions.
India is the "Pharmacy of the World," supplying 20% of global generic medicines. Yet millions of Indian patients remain trapped between unaffordable branded drugs and generics they don't trust.
We're changing that through citizen-funded science.
The question we're answering: Is your affordable medicine just as effective as the expensive brand—or are you compromising your health to save money?
Our project analyses essential medicines across critical therapeutic categories to rigorous laboratory analysis:
✅Antibiotics - Azithromycin, Amoxicillin, Rifaximin
✅Heart & Blood Pressure - Telmisartan, Amlodipine, Clopidogrel, Atorvastatin, Aspirin
✅Diabetes & Gout - Metformin, Febuxostat
✅Digestive Health - Pantoprazole, Omeprazole, Ranitidine, UDCA
✅Pain & Inflammation - Paracetamol, Ibuprofen, Prednisolone
✅Allergy & Respiratory - Montelukast, Cetirizine
✅Thyroid & Supplements - Thyroxine, Folic Acid, Calcium+Vitamin D
For each medicine, we compare Branded Drugs, Branded Generics, Jan Aushadhi, Trade and Local Generics (State Government, Generic Aadhar & Dava India)—testing what patients actually buy from pharmacies.
22 types of medicines, 2-4 categories, 133 drugs in total!
All testing is conducted in FDA & NABL-accredited laboratories using country standards:
- Weight Variation Test — to ensure uniformity of dosage units within a batch
- Identification — to confirm authenticity of the active pharmaceutical ingredient
- Assay Testing — Does the tablet contain what the label claims?
- Dissolution Testing — Does the medicine release properly in your body?
- Impurity Profiling — Are there harmful contaminants?
This project is 100% publicly funded with your help! —no pharmaceutical company sponsorship, no conflicts of interest.
Every Indian deserves medicines that are safe, effective, and trusted—regardless of price.
This is brought to you by The Mission for Ethics and Science in Healthcare (MESH).
Support independent pharmacovigilance.
@arifhussaintm
FUND THE TRUTH. CONTRIBUTE NOW.
To make a contribution in specific ways and in your own way, and help us reach our goal, please visit: https://t.co/6YXy2Ko6hT
To read more about MESH and this project, please visit: https://t.co/J57flwNqfB
@theliverdoc Thank you so much. I’m truly grateful for the way you confront medical misinformation and harassment head on. Without your efforts I would feel completely lost in this medical multiverse of madness.
@theliverdoc Anyone who bad mouths someone like @theliverdoc who actively exposes scams and health misinformation is showing themselves to be an enemy of public health.
it's a great litmus test to see who is trustworthy and who is not
Rishi Bagree:
If you had sold your 10 gm Gold during Manmohan's time you had got only
- 25,000 Rupees
But If you will sell your 10 gm Gold during Modi time you'll get
- 1,00,000 Rupees
This is what Modi has done for India's economy 🔥🔥
Indian Government is so fcking ReTarded they aren't doing shit for employment crisis or creating jobs and then made it almost impossible to create Stripe Account so A Nigga can't even accept payments from foreign
#indiangovernment#piyushgoyal#bjp#congress#retards#pigs