COIMBATORE : With Central government withdrawing the power of the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) to cap price of non-essential drugs, the impact is soon to reflect in local markets.
According to industry experts, pharmaceutical companies making use of the opportunity have initiated measures to raise the price of some of the costly drugs. The NPPA had earlier fixed a price cap on 108 such drugs in the non-essential category, including those used to treat cancer, HIV/AIDS, TB, and cardio vascular illness.
“The new move is favourable to pharmaceutical companies. The price cap is off and they are allowed to revise prices. New stocks will reflect the price change”, said the representative of a leading pharmaceutical firm in Tamil Nadu. According to him, the price of some anti-cancer and cardiovascular drugs may double the current amount.
Members of the pharmacists association in Tamil Nadu said the proposed price change was discussed in a recent meeting and they expect the same to take effect when new stocks arrive. When this happens, patients are likely to suffer if pharmacies run by the Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation (TNMSC) fail to keep enough stock of such drugs. TNMSC is engaged in procuring essential and non-essential drugs from pharma companies to be supplied through pharmacies operating in government hospitals. Shortage of such drugs in government pharmacies, which has been a long standing issue, is likely to worsen the situation, say many from the pharma industry.
The NPPA was given the power to control the price of non-essential drugs based on the Drug Price Control Order of 2013. At present, the national regulatory body has the power to control the price of 348 drugs that come under the National List of Essential Medicines.