Ceiling prices of 21 key medicines raised by 50%; NPPA invokes DPCO 2013

The government has for the first time invoked the Drug Price Control Order, 2013, (DPCO, 2013) to raise the prices of 21 formulations or medicines that are under price regulation to ensure their availability. This would be a one-time increase of 50 per cent above the present ceiling prices.

The pharma industry has been lobbying for this for almost two years, citing a steep rise in prices of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) or bulk drugs largely imported from China. 

The prices of APIs have gone up in the range of 5-88 per cent, depending on the products. API prices constitute 40-80 per