Pharma body challenges drug pricing policy in SC

Drug price controls based on market based rate, which was cleared by the cabinet is challenged in the Supreme Court through a public interest litigation filed by All India Drug Action Network (AIDAN), reports CNBC-TV18’s Rituparna Bhuyan.

The government told the SC that the cabinet approved drug pricing policy of 2012 but the case has been going on since 2003. However, the minutes of the cabinet are yet to be finalised. Hence, the government has asked for two more weeks to be given to them so that they can place the pricing policy before the SC and thereby the matter had now been adjourned till December 12.
The AIDAN has filed another petition based on a press reports where it has said that the simple average price based cap, which the cabinet had approved is nothing but a whitewash. The petition says,"The government has approved no rationale at why cost based pricing has to be abandoned when the retail price determination for telephone charges auto, taxi fare etc is decided on cost". Infact market based pricing is never used in any price regulatory purpose.
The action will begin on December 12 and see what observation SC makes on this very crucial drug pricing policy. As far as the government goes, it will please before it in the next two weeks, the drug pricing policy which is yet to be notified there.