The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority today said it has capped prices of 51 essential drug formulations, including those used for the treatment of cancer, pain, heart conditions and skin problems.
In separate notifications, the drug price regulator said it has notified ceiling prices of 13 formulations, while revising the same for 15 formulations. Moreover, retail prices of 23 essential formulations have also been notified, NPPA said.
Drugs whose ceiling prices have been capped include colon or rectal cancer treatment drug Oxaliplatin (injection 100 mg), Japanese encephalitis vaccine and measles rubella vaccine.
On the other hand, ceiling prices of drugs, including anesthetic Sevoflurane, Phyto menadione (Vitamin K1) and tuberculosis prevention medicine BCG vaccine, have been revised.
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According to senior officials in NPPA, the reduction in prices following the latest exercise will range between 6-53 percent.
NPPA fixes ceiling price of essential medicines of Schedule I under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order 2013.
In respect of medicines that are not under price control, manufacturers are allowed to increase the maximum retail price by 10 percent annually.
The calculation for essential drugs is based on the simple average of all medicines in a particular therapeutic segment with sales of more than 1 percent.
Set up in 1997, NPPA has been entrusted with the task of fixation/revision of prices of pharma products, enforcement of provisions of DPCO and monitoring of prices of controlled and decontrolled drugs.
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