Govt Approves 50% Price Hike for Commonly Used Medicines
Moneylife Digital Team 28 October 2024
Citing 'extraordinary' circumstances and 'larger public interest', the national pharmaceutical pricing authority (NPPA), under the Union ministry of health and family welfare (MoHFW) increased the ceiling prices of 11 scheduled formulations of eight drugs by 50% of their current ceiling prices. These drugs are used for the treatment of asthma, glaucoma, thalassemia, tuberculosis (TB) and mental health disorders. Most of these drugs are low-cost and generally used as first-line treatment, crucial to the country's public health programmes.
 
Formulations for which ceiling prices have been revised include: benzylpenicillin 1mn ( million) IU injection, atropine injection 0.6mg per ml, streptomycin powder for injection 750mg and 1000mg, salbutamol tablet 2mg and 4mg and respirator solution 5mg/ml, pilocarpine 2% drops, cefadroxil tablet 500mg, desferrioxamine 500mg for injection and lithium tablets 300mg, NPPA says in a statement. 
 
The authority says it has been receiving applications from the manufacturers for upward revision of prices, citing various reasons like increased cost of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), production cost and change in exchange rate resulting in nonviability in sustainable production and marketing of drugs. Companies have also applied for discontinuation of some of the formulations due to their nonviability, it added.
 
"After detailed deliberations in the full Authority meeting held on 8 October 2024, invoking extraordinary powers under Para 19 of the DPCO, 2013, and in the larger public interest, NPPA approved the increase in the ceiling prices of 11 scheduled formulations of eight drugs by 50% of their current ceiling prices," the authority says.
 
Earlier, such extraordinary powers had been invoked by NPPA in 2019 and 2021 whereby prices of 21 and 9 formulations, respectively, were increased by 50% to ensure continued availability of essential drugs for the public, it added.
 
For drugs under price regulation, NPPA allows price hikes linked to the wholesale price index (WPI).
 
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Comments
r_ashok41
1 month ago
ideally govt should have asked similar to covid vaccine domestic companies to develop the same and also if those imported essential drugs if the patent has expired then they should ask local companies to manufacture and if those companies having patent govt should ask them to manufacture them in India and give incentive for the same then it can be got at a cheaper price to domestic people in need.There are various ways of doing it only one should have the will of doing it.I do not what PM is doing whether he is aware of all what is going in the ministry of medicines dept or are they acting on their whims and fancies similar to FM dept who are slowly killing sr citizens.
rhkannurkar
1 month ago
Already the price of essential drugs like anti hypertensive &diabetic drugs are beyond the reach of comman man.Incrising again to 50% we really don't understand what is going on with pricing of drugs.Is there any cap or just ignoring the issue faced by the public or comman man .THINK
r_ashok41
1 month ago
on one hand govt wants to start jan aushadi scheme generic medicines and give common people a relief and now with the coalition of the pharma manufacturing association govt wants to kill common man by throttling him by all means I pray to god to give some common sense to this govt which is becoming capitalistic govt by all means and ignoring the sr citizens who are left to fend by themselves or perish
narreshchabra
Replied to r_ashok41 comment 1 month ago
Sir, I'm using Jan Aushadhi medicines since 2018-19.. Difference in prices is more than 90%.. Due to this increase, that difference can be reduced to 88% - 85% which is again way way less than market price..

Regards
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