Background: Same drug can be sold for different prices under different brand names due to various reasons. Branded medicine is the original product that has been developed by a pharmaceutical company and generic medicine is a copy of the original branded product, marketed after the expiry date of the patent and hence supposed to be of low cost as compared to their branded versions. The objective was to compare the costs of various branded and generic medicine and to ascertain the rationality of emphasizing generic versus branded prescription. Methods: Prices of 50 commonly used branded and generic medicines available as both branded and generic forms and in same concentration, dosage form and combination were selected and the percentage difference in the mean cost of generic and branded medicines was calculated. Results: The mean cost of 26 generic medicines out of the selected 50 medicines was higher than their branded versions. Mean cost of 20 branded medicines was higher than generic ones, and cost of 4 medicines was approximately same. Percentage difference in the mean costs of branded and generic medicines varied from <10% to >70%. Conclusions: Most of the drugs available in the market have brand names whether they are branded or generic medicines. Hence, doctor should write a cheapest known brand with the name of the generic salt in bracket so that the patient can buy another if that brand is not available. Furthermore, the Drug Controller of India should release a website where every doctor should be able to fi nd the cheapest and approved drugs in the market.

Background: In recent years there has been growing interest in therapeutic use of natural products, especially those derived from plants. P. granatum is very common dietary ingredient in many parts of India and has remarkable biological and medicinal properties.Methods: In the present study, the methanolic extract of fruit peels of Punica granatum Linn. (MEPG) were investigated for anti-inflammatory activity by simple, reliable, less toxic and less time consuming HRBC membrane stabilization method. The presentation of hypo tonicity induced HRBC membrane lysis was taken a measure of anti-inflammatory activity. Their activities were compared with standard drug diclofenac.Results: The results of the study demonstrated that P. granatum contains active constituents, which possess anti-inflammatory activity which is probably related to the inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis.Conclusions: It is concluded that methanolic extract of P. granatum fruit peel possesses significant anti-inflammatory activity and this is a possible rationale for its folkloric use as an anti-inflammatory agent.

Objectives:To compare the efficacy and safety of febuxostat and allopurinol in pyrazinamide (PZA)-induced hyperuricemia in patients taking antitubercular therapy (ATT).Methods:This randomized controlled study was conducted at a tertiary care teaching institute of Rajasthan in all the sputum-positive tubercular patients aged between 18 and 65 years of either sex. Serum uric acid level was monitored at 0th, 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 8th week of ATT. Patients whose uric acid level was found to be increased at 2nd week were finally recruited in the study. Ninety patients who developed hyperuricemia due to ATT were divided randomly into three groups (Group A - febuxostat, Group B - allopurinol, and Group C - control) of thirty patients each. Mean serum uric acid levels were calculated at all the weeks in all the groups, and serum uric acid levels were compared by applying student's t-test and ANOVA.Results:Mean serum uric acid level decreased from 10.698 mg/dl (at 2nd week) to 7.846 mg/dl (at 8th week) in Group A and from 11.34 mg/dl (at 2nd week) to 7.280 mg/dl (at 8th week) in Group B. Numbers of adverse events encountered across both the treatment groups were same with both the drugs.Conclusion:Allopurinol and febuxostat were equally efficacious in lowering PZA induced raised serum uric acid level in tubercular patients, and it was possible to continue ATT without withdrawing PZA.

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Background: In recent years, the search for novel pharmacotherapy from medicinal plants for psychiatric illness was significantly progressed. The present study was performed to evaluate the antidepressant activity of ethanolic extract of Lagenaria siceraria in animal models.Methods: The antidepressant activity of ethanolic extract of the fruit of L. siceraria in rats was assessed using forced swim test and tail suspension test. Imipramine at 15 mg/kg was used as standard antidepressant drug.Results: The ethanolic extract of L. siceraria fruit (EELS) was significantly and dose-dependently reduced the duration of immobility after repeated treatment for 7 days in Forced swim test and Tail suspension Test. But combination of L. siceraria (200mg/kg) with Imipramine gave a highly significant result (p<0.001) in reduction of immobility duration and the effect of high dose (400mg/kg) with imipramine (15mg/kg) did not decrease the duration of immobility period in both animal models at end of the study. In this work the dose of 400mg/kg afforded more protection than the imipramine.Conclusions: The results obtained from this study was indicate that the antidepressant activity of L. siseraria.