India's drug price comparison web site launched

A senior physician at the Tirath Ram hospital in New Delhi, India, has launched a drug price comparison web site to allow patients to check on the products their doctors are prescribing them. The on-line resource can be found at http://medguideindia.com and lists about 250,000 drugs with active ingredients and prices.

MM Mittal, the initiator of the project, told the Times of India: "there are hundreds of brands available in the market having the same constituents but patients are not aware of the options as they mostly stick to the brands prescribed by the physician." Dr Mittal explained that different generic labels of the same drug can have varying prices.