Reject pressure to review price control on med devices: AIDAN

The government should reject any pressure to review price control on medical devices by the US based medical device industry, the All India Drug Action Network today (AIDAN) said.

The development comes as the US medical firms have approached the US Trade Representative through Advanced Medical Technology Association requesting that India's benefits under the Generalised System of Preferences be suspended or withdrawn for failure to provide equitable and reasonable access to market for medical devices.

The AIDAN has termed the move highly reprehensible.

"This is

a barefaced attempt to intimidate

Indian government and

retaliate against

its decision to fix the retail prices
 

of cardiovascular stents and

knee implants in the public interest and

exposes the unabashed greed

of the industry

and its willingness to hold

poor

peoples' health at ransom

for the sake of maximising profits," AIDAN said in a statement.

The well-thought-out decision by the government to regulate the prices of cardiovascular

stents and knee implants puts

an end to the

rampant overcharging and the exploitation of the patients by

hospitals

and doctors in collusion with the companies, it added.

While asking the government to reject any

pressure

to review price control on medical devices, AIDAN also sought expansion of price control for other devices that are classified as drugs.

"We ask that price controls are urgently expanded to cover 19 additional categories of medical devices classified as drugs under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act and Drugs and Cosmetics

Rules," the statement said.

It also asked the US government to refrain from exerting policy pressure on

India for

taking the measures to make medicines and medical devices more affordable and accessible to patients that need them, it added.

AIDAN is a network of several non-government organisations working to increase access and improve the rational use of essential medicines.