Startup

DuWah: THE APP THAT FINDS GENERIC MEDICINES ON A CLICK!

Why, in India, do we mostly get medicine brand names as prescription, not the drug names? An easier way out: 'DuWah'!

DuWah, the one click generic medicine finder app, is a unique brand and a wonderful solution. Read on.
By India Input Research Desk
It is the most common practice in India that the medicine brands are named as prescription. This means, in India, the pharmacist hands over the required medicine by the prescribed brand, may be at a higher price, than its generic alternative. In the developed world, the prescription generally includes the drug’s name. Thus, the purchaser can opt for the drug of the same composition,  which suits the wallet, irrespective of its brand.
Abhijeet Daigavane, promoter of DuWah, the one click generic medicine finder app, points out that questions have been raised several times on several platforms about such a practice. There was this particular episode of the TV show ‘Satyamev Jayate’ on the various aspects and effects of the practice. Fears have been expressed whether there exists link with certain pharmaceutical brands for preference or promotion. The prescriptions mentioning brands have resulted in making the medicine purchase a costlier affair for the common patient in a developing country like ours.
DuWah: Prayers answered! 
For Abhijeet, finding an escape way for the millions of purchasers was the only option. He founded DuWah. An essential app that comes in handy to save money and time and also re establishes the belief that brands do not matter, the medicine does.
The man behind DuWah: An actor & an entrepreneur

DuWah
The man behind DuWah!
Before focusing on the app, here is something equally interesting  from Abhijeet’s career. He nurses twin ambitions. An actor and an entrepreneur. He had begun doing TV serials in 2014, while pursuing ME (Master in Engineering) in Electronics & telecommunications from RGIT, Mumbai. He did the TV serials Pavitra and Savdhan India. He also did a range of TVCs and other projects. He still regularly finds time to go auditioning for newer, more challenging roles!  He proudly says,- My parents always allowed me to explore and follow my passion. Instead of spanking the kid, they believed in letting me know the difference between the good and the bad. And that made the difference in my life.
Ask him about his multitasking and what inspired him to work on the app, Abhijeet laughs and recounts, – There was this hunger to learn newer things. It hasn’t left me. I still feel that I haven’t left school. May be, I have been, sort of, ahead of time. I was independently managing family finances from the age of 13, had learnt driving cars at the age of 10,  Though I was mostly topper in academics and an all rounder in school, I never did homeworks, was always late and got punished regularly. Still, the teachers spoke highly about me and cited my examples. The point is, I didn’t restrict myself to only a certain limited set of jobs. So it never tasted monotonous and there has been no complaining about life.
Abhijeet admits that, as a child, he visualized himself as a movie star and also dreamt about owning a company doing various cool things, when not busy shooting. As a grown up, there was realization for the need of multiple income sources which saw him found his own company, Atom O’Sphere.
So, how come DuWah?
He adds, -Till just 5 years ago, most of us used to visit stores to buy the required items at prices dictated by the shopkeepers. But now, almost everyone checks the prices online. That’s the behavioral change in the buyers, spurred by time and technology. I intended to change the behavior in a similar fashion when it comes to medicines. Before buying, one must be able to compare the medicines across various manufacturers when, composition wise, all options are the same. One must be able to question the doctor for the prescribed medicine’s brand when he/she can find the same drug cheaper, though by another medicine manufacturer.
So, one can always check the generics option available to the prescribed medicine brand and save money. Also, one can choose the manufacturer of choice for the same drug.
On what inspired him to think about  this app DuWah, he recalls, -In the year 2020 Mr Ratan Tata invested in 18 year old Arjun Deshpande’s vision for starting an aggregation platform for all the generic medicine manufacturers. I truly got inspired by the idea and started diving deep. One must be smart enough to question himself and the practice of prescribing brands when the same medicine can be found at as low as 80% cheaper price. Why can’t one have the freedom of choosing the same medicine from various options?  Also, I learnt about an app in the market called Jan Aushdhalaya, floated by the  Government of India. But, the biggest gap in the market was the ease of finding the exact generic match of  the prescribed medicine. Hence, I came up with the idea of making a one click generic medicine finder app. Data was the biggest challenge, where my wife helped me. She collected and arranged the real information and data to make it happen. To cover medicines from A to Z is a huge task. Other challenges were solved by our Chief Tech Officer Ravindra Yadav. Funds were arranged by our Chief Operating Officer Capt Raj, who has been a great mentor since my College days.
Thus, DuWah became a reality.
We have so far kept the app on a very low key, did only the soft launch, to watch it grow organically. The app is easily available on app store and play store. We are still waiting for the right time for a proper launch. But, people have begun mentioning and recommending it, already!.

The Future

How does he see the future for the endeavor? 
With a chuckle, he remarks, – We are committed to save lives, crucial time, money, energy and also save a lot of heartburn for the patient and their near and dear ones. Hence, the future of DuWah is clearly the most natural step ahead..   the delivery of generic medicines at your doorsteps!
(DO NOT MISS : The Next Part  : The idea, the INS Vikramaditya, Indian Navy, the SBI  &  the making of a history!)
(images: DuWah)

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

18 + 18 =

Back to top button