Govt asks firms to maintain knee implant supplies at level before price cap

The government has directed knee implant makers and importers to maintain the production and supply of all orthopaedic knee implant systems at the level before the price cap was introduced.

The government had slashed the prices of knee implants on August 16 by nearly 70 per cent, fixing a price range for knee implants from Rs 54,000 to Rs 1.14 lakh.

The Department of Pharmaceuticals has asked major manufacturers and importers of orthopaedic knee implant systems, "to maintain production/import/supply of orthopaedic knee implant systems at the same levels before August 2017", according to a notification published on the department's website.
 

It has also asked them to furnish the production figures for 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18, it said.

The government has invoked powers under Para 3 of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013 to order the companies to continue with making the knee implant systems available to the patients.

"This order will be valid initially for six months period".