India’s drug price authority has revised the ceiling prices of eight drugs which are mostly used as first-line treatment for conditions like Asthma, glaucoma, tuberculosis and mental health disorders. The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority(NPPA) increased the costs of these drugs by 50 per cent, to meet the manufacturers’ demand and keep the supply running.
The NPPA invoked Paragraph 19 of the Drugs Prices Control Order for the third time to change the drug prices. The price revision took place after the pharmaceutical companies urged price increases for certain medicines, citing unviability. The manufacturers found it difficult to afford the rising cost of ingredients and production of the medicines. As a result, they sought to discontinue the production and supply of the medicines at the current rate.
The pricing authority decided in the interest of public health needs and revised the ceiling prices of 11 scheduled formulations from eight drugs. The 50% price increase was approved to ensure the continued availability of these drugs. The price of Benzyl Penicillin 10 lakh IU injection, Cefadroxil tablet 500mg, and Streptomycin powder for injections 750 mg and 1000mg, which are used for treating various bacterial infections and tuberculosis, has been revised. Asthma treatment drugs including Salbutamol tablets 2mg and 4mg and respirator solution 5mg/ml, also saw price increase. The price of tropine injection 06.mg/ml, Pilocarpine 2% drops, Desferrioxamine 500 mg for injection and Lithium tablets 300 mg has also been revised.
Meanwhile, NPPA revises the ceiling prices of drugs annually starting April 1, taking into account the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) of the preceding year. It is only on “extraordinary circumstances that Section 19 of the DPCO gives power to the government to revise the ceiling cost. Earlier, the NPPA had used its powers to increase the price of 21 and 9 formulations by 50 percent in 2019 and 2021 respectively.
