Drugs for diabetes and hypertension are likely to get cheaper as the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has fixed the retail cost of 69 formulations and the ceiling cost of 31 formulations.
Manufacturers failing to comply with the price cap have to return the overcharged amount to the government.
Various medications for type 2 diabetes, blood pressure, antibiotics, cough syrups and depression medication will be under price control.
Combination of dapagliflozin, metformin hydrochloride (extended release) and glimepiride tablets for type 2 diabetes will be priced around Rs 14 each, while the sitagliptin phosphate, metformin hydrochloride and glimepiride combination drug will be priced at Rs 13 per tablet.
Various drugs manufactured by listed players like Sun Pharmaceuticals, Alkem Laboratories, Cipla Ltd, Mankind Pharma, Lupin Ltd and Torrent Pharma are included in the list.
Additionally, 39 formulations have also been included in the NPPA list. This has set the ceiling price of Snake venom antiserum at Rs 428. Prices of HIV medication Zidovudine, Desferrioxamine used in thalassemia and budesonide-formoterol combination used in asthma have also been brought under price control.
Set up in 1997, the drug pricing regulator is vested with the responsibility of fixing and revising prices of pharmaceutical products, enforcing provisions of the Drug Price Control Order (DPCO), and monitoring the prices of both controlled and decontrolled drugs. The primary objective of the NPPA is to ensure the availability of essential medicines at reasonable and regulated prices. The authority has mandated every retailer and dealer to prominently display prices at their business premises, ensuring easy accessibility for consumers.
Recent reports indicate that the Federation of Pharma Entrepreneurs (FOPE), a prominent lobby group, has urged the regulator to temporarily halt a notice. The notice had cautioned drug manufacturers of potential penal actions if new drugs were introduced before their retail prices were officially notified.
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