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Jan Aushadhi Kendras report 31.4 per cent growth in sales in July
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Gireesh Babu, New Delhi
September 11 , 2024
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The Jan Aushadhi Kendras (JAKs) under the flagship scheme of the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP), Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP), has reported a growth of 31.4 per cent growth in sales of generic medicines at Maximum Retail Price (MRP) value, as compared to the sales same month a year ago.
According to data from DoP, the JAKs in the country has reported a total sales at MRP of Rs. 162.84 crore in the month of July, 2024, as compared to Rs. 123.89 crore during the same month of previous year. Compared to the Rs. 137.56 crore sales registered in the previous month of June, 2024, sales in July has reported a growth of 18.4 per cent.
The savings to the common man from purchasing medicines from JAKs was Rs. 814.20 crore in July, 2024, as compared to Rs. 619 crore a year ago.
The Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI), the implementing agency of PMBJP, has set up 497 new JAKs during the month, and the total number of Kendras at the end of July, 2024 has gone up to 13,113 outlets. The total number of outlets during the same month a year ago was 9,668 Kendras.
The product basket under the PMBJP has also seen an increase from 1,800 medicines and 285 surgical products in July, 2023 to 2047 medicines and 300 surgical products in July, 2024. The initially announced plans were to enhance the product basket of PMBJP upto 2,000 medicines and 300 surgical by March, 2025.
The Bureau earlier announced that it has opened more than 10,000 JAKs across the country towards the end of the year 2023, offering over 1,963 generic medicines and 293 surgical equipment and consumables with prices almost 50-90 per cent less than that of branded medicines available in the open market. This was ahead of the target, as the plans were to open 10,000 JAKs by March, 2024.
The Central government also announced in 2023 its plans to increase the number of JAKs in the country from 10,000 to 25,000 by March 31, 2026.
The generic medicine sales through JAKs for the last five financial years including the first three months of the current fiscal year was Rs. 3,548.79 crore, as reported earlier.
According to the data from the ministry of chemicals and fertilisers, the total sales of Jan Aushadhi generic medicines in the first three months of the fiscal year 2024-25, till June, 2024, is Rs. 437.94 crore. In 2023-24, the total sales of JAKs were at Rs. 907 crore, as compared to Rs. 799.09 crore in 2022-23, Rs. 645.72 crore in 2021-22, Rs 445.46 in 2020-21, and Rs. 313.59 crore in 2019-20.
The data submitted by the Ministry in the Lok Sabha in the recent session also shows that Kerala reported the highest sales through JAKs in the period from 2019-20 to the first quarter of 2024-25, at Rs. 630.96 crore, followed by Karnataka with Rs. 563.95 crore sales, Uttar Pradesh with Rs. 524.51 crore sales, Tamil Nadu with Rs. 307.99 crore sales, and West Bengal with Rs. 228.24 crore sales.
Among the States, Chhattisgarh has shown a remarkable improvement in generic drug sales through JAKs, from Rs. 4.47 crore in 2021-22, Rs. 5.54 crore in 2022-23, Rs. 6.56 crore in 2023-24, to Rs. 34.17 crore in the first three months of 2024-25.
The PMBJP was launched by the Ministry in November, 2008 with an objective of making quality generic medicines available at affordable prices to all.
The steps taken for increasing viability of Kendras include continuous expansion of product basket to provide a complete range of medicines for increasing footfall to the Kendras, covering almost all chronic and acute disease conditions, said PMBJP earlier.
State health departments and associated government authorities have been requested to open Jan Aushadhi Stores in various government hospitals by providing rent free spaces to private individuals. The PMBI also tied up with various organisations including the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) to expand its reach.
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