The move is a big setback to poor patients who use such anti-diabetes, cancer, HIV, tuberculosis and cardiac medicines on a daily basis due to high prices. As such, patients have been forced to pay two to three times of the import prices of medical devices which are not available in open market but hospitals only.
The latest move will not only render the poor patients helpless but put an end on price controls on expensive treatments of cancer, HIV and tuberculosis. For the first time, the NPPA had fixed prices of 108 formulation packs of 50 anti-diabetic and cardiovascular medicines outside NLEM in July. Prices of 652 drugs under the NLEM were fixed last year.
The regulator, National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), had the authority to check exorbitant prices of crucial medicines outside the National List of Essential Medicines in extraordinary circumstances and in public interest, as per guidelines complying para 19 of the Drug Prices Control Order (DPCO) 2013.
However, the industry lobbyists viewed the price cap “arbitrary implementation of the policy”. Following government’s direction, the NPPA has withdrawn the guidelines which were issued on May 29, three days after NDA came to power.
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