Pharma pricing policy: What changes are likely to be made?

The Cabinet is also likely to approve the Pharma pricing policy, despite drug experts alleging that there are major loopholes in the pricing of drugs. This reform is expected to make pricing more consumer friendly, but perhaps not in the long run.

• Cabinet to consider bringing 348 essential drugs under price control
• 348 drugs part of the National List of Essential Medicines
  
• Total sales in excess of Rs 25,000 cr per year
• Constitute 60% of the total sales
• Cabinet to consider using weighted avg prices of drugs
• Weighted avg prices for drugs with mkt share of 1%