The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has approved the increase in ceiling prices of 11 scheduled formulations of eight drugs by 50 per cent of their current ceiling prices.
“Most of these drugs are low-cost and generally used as first-line treatment crucial to the public health programmes of the country,” the Union Health Ministry said of the drugs used in treating Asthma, Glaucoma, Thalassemia, Tuberculosis, mental health disorders, etc.
The NPPA has been receiving applications from manufacturers for upward revision of prices citing various reasons including the increased cost of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients; increase in the cost of production; change in exchange rate etc; resulting in unviability in sustainable production and marketing of drugs, the pricing authority said. “Companies have also applied for discontinuation of some of the formulations on account of their unviability,” it added.
After detailed deliberations on October 8, invoking extraordinary powers under Para 19 of the DPCO, 2013, and in larger public interest, the NPPA has approved the increase in ceiling prices, it said.
Revised prices
The formulations whose ceiling prices have been revised include Benzyl Penicillin 10 lakh IU injection; Atropine injection 06.mg/ml; Streptomycin powder for injection 750 mg and 1,000 mg; Salbutamol tablet 2 mg and 4 mg and respirator solution 5 mg/ml; Pilocarpine 2 per cent drops; Cefadroxil tablet 500 mg, Desferrioxamine 500 mg for injection; and Lithium tablets 300 mg.
Earlier, such extraordinary powers had been invoked by NPPA in 2019 and 2021, when the price of 21 and nine formulations respectively were increased by 50 per cent to ensure continued availability of essential drugs for the public, it said.
The NPPA’s mandate is to ensure availability of essential drugs at affordable prices and ensuring affordability without jeopardising access to such medicines, the NPPA said. “The essential drugs must remain available to address the public health needs of the country and their price regulation should not lead to a situation where these drugs become unavailable in the market,” the NPPA said.
Price revisions by the authority are a standard procedure, for both price-controlled and decontrolled drugs. The price revisions of controlled medicines are undertaken annually in line with the WPI, or when input costs increase etc. The NPPA also monitors decontrolled drugs that are allowed an annual price not more than 10 per cent.