BENGALURU: The Karnataka Pharma Retailers and Distributors Organisation (KPRDO) has urged the state government to withdraw a circular mandating the display of landing prices and maximum retail prices (MRP) of medicines, medical devices and consumables on billing invoices, citing legal, operational and patient-safety concerns.
In a representation to Food Safety and Drugs Administration (FDA) Commissioner K Srinivas, the organisation argued that the circular, issued under the Karnataka Private Medical Establishments Act, 2007, could not be extended to hospital pharmacies operating under licences issued under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.
The organisation said the regulation of drug licensing and retail invoicing fell under the purview of the central government. It also argued that selectively requiring the healthcare sector to disclose procurement prices, while other retail sectors followed the standard MRP framework, was discriminatory.
KPRDO said medicine procurement costs fluctuated depending on manufacturers, distributors and volume-based rate contracts. Implementing batch-wise landing-price disclosures, it added, would place an operational and software burden on hospital information systems.
The organisation further contended that existing mechanisms, including the Drugs (Prices Control) Order and the National List of Essential Medicines, were appropriate channels for addressing concerns over excessive medicine prices.
Warning that disclosing procurement costs without adequate context could lead to misunderstandings and disputes at hospital billing counters, KPRDO said this could affect patient-doctor relationships and the safety of healthcare staff.