Prices of HIV, asthma, malaria drugs revised

The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has revised the prices of 22 scheduled drugs. These drugs are for treating malaria, HIV, asthma, breast cancer, among others. The drugs include tablets such as Efavirenz, Ibuprofen, Tamoxifen and Salbutamol, Phenobarbitone injection and Rifampicin capsule.

“All the existing manufacturers of scheduled formulations, selling the branded or generic or both the versions of scheduled formulations at a price higher than the ceiling price (plus local taxes as applicable) so fixed and notified by the government, shall revise the prices of all such formulations downward not exceeding the ceiling price specified,” said the drug price regulator.

NPPA had fixed the ceiling price for 123 medicines in July. Overall, since April of this year, it has put fresh ceiling prices for a total 316 drugs.

Moreover, NPPA fixed the retail prices of 51 new medicines during the past month, bringing the cumulative figure for 2016-17 to 90. The regulator also identified 118 cases of overcharging.

Based on the new national list of essential medicines (NLEM), the government had on March 14 notified the Drugs (Price Control) Amendment Order, 2016. It has 820 formulations. There were 628 formulations under the DPCO of 2013, notified in the wake of the NLEM of 2011.

While the drug price controller keeps revising prices of drugs, it has now taken up the task of working out the prices of stents as well. Stents are now officially considered drugs and come under the ambit of NPPA.

Set up in 1997, NPPA is entrusted with the task of fixation/revision of prices of pharma products, enforcement of provisions of DPCO and monitoring of prices of controlled and decontrolled drugs. The NPPA and drug manufacturers have constantly been at logger-heads over price fixations.